Hail to the King
by Thuktun Flishithy
Summary: A strange event brings Godzilla to a world that needs a guardian. A small object accompanies him which forever changes the life of young Shinji Ikari
1. Chapter 1

_Hail to the King_

_by Thuktun Flishithy_

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to either Godzilla, Zone Fighter, or Evangelion. This is a non-profit fanwork.

The astonishing event that altered the courses of two entire worlds had begun as a secretive experiment on an isle in the Ogawasara chain, formerly called Chichi-jima and now known to the public as "Monster Island", where the some of the most fearsome creatures in the world were contained and studied. The island had been chosen for the experiment due in part to its remoteness from human civilization and its already impressive scientific facilities. The experiment's nature was unknown to the public, all they knew was that it was called "Dimension Tide", a rather unassuming name. Little did they know how much impact it would have on the world.

Captain Gordon of the Earth Defense Force stood like a stone statue, observing the experiment unfold before him. Of course, it was only through a viewscreen. The actual experiment was farther away, a good kilometer from the main base, as it was considered too dangerous to be in the building itself. Turning his head slightly, he spoke to the young woman at his side. The woman was small, only coming up to Gordon's chest, and wore the standard uniform of those assigned to Monster Island.

"Miss Saegusa, are all the monsters secured? I don't want one of them barging in and smashing the generator."

Miki Saegusa smiled, an almost blissful look on her young face. "Rodan and Anguirus are on the other side of the island, resting. Varan, Manda, Baragon, Kumonga, and Gorosaurus are contained within their forcefields and Gojiran scent emitters are turned up to maximum."

"And Godzilla?" Gordon asked. The idea of the 100 meter tall radioactive dinosaur investigating and potentially damaging the experiment was not an appealing one, especially considered the dangerous forces at work.

Miki furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, probing once more for the titanic saurian with her mind. "He's sleeping in the lagoon, as we previously checked. It'd take something big to wake him up, so we have little to fear."

Gordon nodded curtly. "He's always enjoyed his beauty sleep." He turned to the scientist at the main computer console in the control room, a middle-aged woman in a red lab coat. "Miss Ontonashi, start up the experiment. Low power, we don't want to make it too big."

Miyuki Ontonashi nodded and started up the experiment. A kilometer away, large generators whirred to life, feeding power into the device, which looked like something more at home at CERN than a tropical island . In the center of the machine, a microscopic sphere appeared, perfectly round and blacker than coal.

"We have an event horizon." Ontonashi said excitedly. "Shall I feed more power into it?"

Gordon shook his head. "Let's not take any chances. This is a first-time experiment, remember? Cut the power."

Ontonashi nodded and did as told. It was then that everything went to hell, as experiments were wont to do in this world for some unknown reason. Instead of eventually disappearing, the black hole began to expand, ever so slightly. The machinery surrounding the hole began to groan and tear from the stresses placed on it. It got to the point that Gordon and the others could hear it from the base.

"Of course," Gordon grumbled.

Suddenly, Miki put her hand to her forehead. "Captain Gordon, Godzilla's woken up! He's heading for Dimension Tide!"

Sure enough, a familiar roar rolled across the island, a sound that had struck terror into the hearts of men and monsters alike. Godzilla trudged forward, his jagged dorsal spines clattering with each step. He was moving quicker than usual, seemingly in a hurry to get to the Dimension Tide. Roaring once more, he finally made it to the large machine and began clawing at it, tearing huge gashes in the metal. Had Godzilla been trained in theoretical physics and briefed on the experiment, he would have realized that this was a very bad thing to do.

Elsewhere on the island, the other monsters were losing it, which would have been an absolutely terrifying sight for any hapless person nearby. Baragon began furiously clawing at the ground with his large front paws, trying to ignore the fearsome scent of Godzilla emitted by nearby sprayers. Anguirus, who treated the barriers as mere nuisances and simply lived on the island because he enjoyed the climate, roared and began to trot towards the machine as well, tearing a huge path through the forest and any wall unfortunate to be in his way. Rodan spread his wings and took off, a sonic boom following in his wake.

They were too late. It happened so suddenly that many workers at the base thought they were hallucinating. The machine crumpled inwards, revealing the still microscopic black hole. Godzilla, a storage depot, and thousands of tons of earth were pulled in, disappearing into the puny nothingness of the singularity. As quickly as it had appeared it vanished in a blinding flash of light, leaving a perfectly smooth and neat hole in the ground. The surrounding air rushed in to fill the sudden vacuum, resulting in a hellish cacophony of noise.

Gordon and the others simply stared at where the mighty titan had stood, shocked. Anguirus and Rodan arrived at the site, looking for their ally and friend. Anguirus stepped into the crater and sniffed around, hoping to find his old friend somewhere in the crater. When he realized that Godzilla was gone, he roared softly. Rodan stood nearby, looking as forlorn as a mutated pterosaur could.

After a few moments of silence, Gordon turned to Ontonashi. "Get another machine ready, ASAP."

"I beg your pardon?" Miyuki asked. "Did you just what happened? Why would you want to replicate that?"

"There's no way in hell I'm just going to give up our most powerful defender. You said it yourself, Dimension Tide doesn't destroy things, it sends them elsewhere. An alternate universe or dimension or something. We need to find that place and get him back." Gordon replied stonily. He turned to Miki, who was trying her best to stifle some tears. "Contact Rodan and Anguirus and try to calm them somewhat. I don't want those two monsters to get agitated."

Miki nodded. "Yes, sir," she said weakly. She closed her eyes once more and reached out to the two kaiju.

Gordon activated his wrist communicator. "Ozaki, get the Super X on standby and tell the security team to be on high alert."

"Roger." Ozaki replied over the communicator.

Gordon paused briefly, then turned back to Ontonashi. "What was in that storage depot?"

Miyuki pulled up some data from the computer and read it over. "Mainly samples of kaiju tissue. It also had the Zone Capsule," she said.

Gordon grunted. "All the more reason to find Godzilla. We need to hurry with the operation, Dr. Otonashi. Get to work."

As everyone set to work, Gordon wondered just where Godzilla could have gone.

Somewhere over the ocean in another world, a hole appeared in space and time, dropping 70,000 tons of giant saurian with a mighty splash. Godzilla thrashed about in the water, trying to regain his sense of balance after his strange trip across universes. It didn't help that it was nighttime. Finally, he rose from the waves, growling angrily. It was then that the stench hit him. If it wasn't for his stubborn pride, he would have retched. It was the smell of death, something all to familiar to the radioactive leviathan. His senses were so keen he could even tell apart the various species of the dead. He smelled sharks, whales, countless fish... and humans.

Godzilla was confused. Where could all of this death have come from? It extended beyond the limits of his senses, the amount was truly staggering. It reminded him too much of the aftermath of Ghidorah's attack during the Cretaceous, when the demonic hydra had nearly succeeded in killing the world. He searched the waters, looking for any signs of life with all of his senses. Nothing. The seas were lifeless, devoid of anything larger than plankton. Could the strange incident that brought him have done it? He dismissed the notion quickly. He had survived, surely the other monsters should have as well.

As he continued to ponder what had happened, his shock and confusion turned into rage. _Something_ had done this to the world. _Something_ had rendered the seas lifeless and upset the balance of nature that he had sworn to protect aeons ago. _Something_ had killed countless humans and his friends as well.

Something had killed his son.

He roared again, an animalistic howl of rage that could be heard for miles around, the very sea around him trembling before its fury. He would find what had done this and make it pay with its blood. An evil on this scale could not go unpunished, he must destroy whatever had broken this world.

Coincidentally enough, he could sense something now, a large creature close to his size swimming far away. It felt _off_, like something unnatural. If he were thinking more like a human, Godzilla would have described what he sensed from it as a "creepy vibe." Was this the thing responsible? It was possible, but he had no way of knowing for sure.

There was only one way to find out.

He began swimming after it, his powerful body gliding through the waves faster than any naval vessel, an impressive feat for such titanic creature. His dorsal spines sliced through the water, leaving waves that could capsize small boats in their wake. Soon he would find the thing and avenge this bloodshed.

The King was on the hunt.

NEW A/N: I have edited this chapter, fleshing it out a bit more and fixing some inconsistencies it had with the later chapters.

A/N: This is my first fanfic. Godzilla is a composite from his various incarnations. He's like the Showa version in that he's ultimately a good guy and has the same level of intelligence. However, he's more like Final Wars in terms of power and more like Heisei in terms of temperament. As for design, imagine a slightly more muscular Final Wars version with more rounded out dorsal plates and the Heisei head design. He's also very old like the 2014 version. Please R&R!


	2. Showdown! Godzilla, Save Tokyo-3!

_East of Tokyo-3_

A vast line of tanks waited at the shore, their guns pointed at the swell in the ocean heading their way. Occasionally a mine would detonate, resulting in a vast spray of the LCL-tainted seawater. It didn't seem to slow the target down one bit, and there was no comfort for the tank crews, even with the VTOL's hovering overhead with enough weaponry to lay waste to a city. Nonetheless, they stayed put, unwilling to let the target advance without a fight. The very fate of humanity lay in the balance.

The swell exploded outwards, revealing their target. It was a massive 80 meters in height, a pitch black creature with a vaguely humanoid body shape and bony protrusions extending from various parts of its body. In its chest was the core, bright red in color.

Sachiel, the Third Angel, made no noise. No fearsome roar escaped it, it uttered no screech or battle cry. It simply stared at the weaponry gathered before it with silence. That unnerved the soldiers more than they cared to admit.

The tanks fired as one, dozens of high-velocity projectiles racing towards the Angel. Countless missiles roared forward, let loose by the VTOL gunships overhead. Altogether the firepower pointed at the Angel was enough to destroy a good part of a city.

They all splintered against the AT-field, a wall of concentric orange octagons forming between the Angel and the human forces. Nonetheless the military continued unloading an absurd amount of firepower at it, hoping for the field to fail.

It didn't. The Angel simply strode past them, crushing some tanks and hapless soldiers underneath. It didn't even acknowledge the pitiful attempt to destroy it, there were far more pressing matters on hand.

As the battle raged between the JSSDF and the Third Angel, neither side noticed three rows slicing their way through the water, approaching land with an alarming speed. The massive creature to whom the spines belonged to made landfall completely unseen, everyone was either dead or too busy following the Angel to notice it. Shaking thousands of tons of water off of its body, it began to move, making large craters in the ground with every footfall. Had anyone been around to see it, they would have seen a creature ready to fight.

* * *

><p>Shinji Ikari sighed as he placed the telephone back. All the lines were down because of some emergency going on. Stepping away from the booth, he looked once again at the picture of who was supposed to pick him up. The image was, to say at the least, inappropriate. He wondered what kind of person Miss Katsuragi would be like, and why she requested for him to be here.<p>

His contemplations were interrupted when a small object fell on the ground. It was small, around the same size of a ballpoint pen. It was a uniform silver in color, save for a red orb at the tip. Picking it up, he found it to be warm to the touch, and surprisingly heavy.

"That's weird," he muttered. Since there was no one to claim ownership over the strange object, he decided to pocket it, at least for now. He didn't know why, but he felt more at ease with it nestled against his chest.

That was when all hell broke loose. It simply started as the sound of thundering footsteps and roaring gunfire, then it soon came into view. Shinji squeaked when he saw some strange thing advancing forward, not slowing at all despite the impressive amount of firepower slamming into it. It was pitch black, covered in ivory bony protrusions all over its body, and it had some plated mask similar to what plague doctors wore during the Black Death. Casually it raised a long arm and impaled a nearby VTOL with a lance of light.

The VTOL crashed down close by, spewing debris and smoke into the air. A rock hit Shinji in the temple, and he fell, bleeding. He barely heard the screeching tires past the ringing in his ears. Someone grabbed him roughly and began to drag him into a car. It was too late, however. Another VTOL was coming down straight towards them, trailing smoke behind it. Shinji closed his eyes and waited for the inevitability of death.

It didn't come. Opening his eye, Shinji found that something was holding the VTOL up. Upon closer examination, he saw that the VTOL was being held in huge scaly hands with claws the size of cars, dripping seawater onto him and the person by his side. The giant hands gently set down the VTOL on the street, allowing Shinji to get a look at his unexpected savior as it stepped between him and the Angel with thunderous footsteps. He wish he hadn't.

It was absolutely titanic, covered in charcoal grey scales that emphasized its heavily muscular body. Its head was like that of a dinosaur, but with more mammalian characteristics thrown in. Three rows of white dorsal spines the shape of maple leaves ran down its back, with the central row being larger. But what Shinji noticed most were the eyes. They were a fiery orange, and behind them he could see an emotion that crossed the barriers of expression between man and beast.

Rage.

The giant beast roared, shattering windows and threatening to burst his eardrums. With that, Shinji finally blacked out.

* * *

><p>Godzilla snorted with contempt at the bizarre monster before him. It was definitely the strangest beast he had seen in many years, with its bony face and almost-human body shape. It simply stared at him with holes where the eyes should have been, regarding him with a blank stare. For a brief moment, neither combatant moved. Then they lunged at each other. Godzilla made sure not to crush the blue car driving away from him as he charged, then slammed his fist right into the bony monster's face.<p>

* * *

><p>"Shit!" Misato Katsuragi swore as she frantically drove away, trying her best to avoid the battle between the Angel and the giant dinosaur-thing that had suddenly appeared. Glancing over at the young boy in the passenger seat, she swore again. He was bleeding heavily from his temple, and had grown very pale.<p>

Once she had felt they were far away enough from the battle, she quickly pulled over. Tearing off some of her shirt, she made a makeshift bandage for the boy, hoping to staunch the bleeding. She feared it wouldn't be enough, a check of his pulse found it to be very weak.

"Just stay with me, Shinji," Misato said, despite knowing that he couldn't hear her. "Just hold on until we can get to Ritsuko. She can help you."

As she sped off again, she began to doubt her own words.

* * *

><p>The strange creature went flying for half of a kilometer, finally slamming into a hillside. It was far lighter than Godzilla anticipated. No matter, it was going to die anyway, its lightness was of no matter to him. Godzilla surged forward, managing a slow run with his titanic mass. The strange beast finally rose and simply stood still, glaring at him with its empty eyes. Suddenly, Godzilla found himself slamming into a strange field of concentric orange octagons. Roaring angrily, he slammed his fist into the field. It gave way, allowing him to rush forward. The strange monster finally attacked, raising its arms. Lances of light speared into Godzilla's torso. Although they stung, he trudged forward and finally got his hands on the beast. Another punch cracked its bony face, blood leaking from the wound. When it attempted to grapple with him, he took one of its arms in both of his hands and pulled.<p>

The strange creature's arm gave way, spewing even more blood. He smashed it across the face with the arm and discarded it quickly. To his surprise, he could see that the wounds were already beginning to regenerate, albeit at a slower rate than some other enemies he fought. Tackling it, he fell with it into a nearby lake, bowling over trees with the waves kicked up by the impact. They hit the bottom, obscured in huge clouds of silt. Straddling the beast, he slammed his fist into the strange red orb in its chest, figuring that it was important. In that regard it reminded him of Biollante.

A spiderweb of cracks appeared into the orb. It was then when the strange beast employed its last resort. It wrapped itself about his upper body, and self-destructed. A humongous explosion hit him in the face, stinging his eyes considerably.

The fight was over. Godzilla rose from the lake, blood raining about him. Roaring triumphantly, he trudged back into the strange sea of blood. He had avenged, however little, of this damaged world.

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

A man with orange glasses was watching the footage of the battle intensely. His expression was hidden by his tented hands, revealing no reaction to what he saw.

"That monster is not in the scrolls," an older man said behind him. "There is no mention of anything that bears even a slight resemblance to it."

"You are right, Fuyutsuki," said Gendo. This monster was not mentioned in the scrolls. It is of no concern, however. The Scenario will proceed, regardless of what some new creature does. It's possible that it will play no integral role into the Scenario, and even if it does attempt to interfere I believe we can handle the issue."

"Are you sure?" Fuyutsuki asked. "That thing defeated the Angel in under two minutes. It broke through the AT-field, something that should be impossible for something that hasn't eaten either Fruit. Can we stop it if needed?"

"Of course," Gendo replied. A slight frown formed on his face, however.

* * *

><p>Shinji found himself in an empty void, floating through nothingness. He felt strange, as though he had no body at all. It was pleasant, considering how much pain he was in before he blacked out. "Am I dead?" he wondered aloud.<p>

_Not quite._

Shinji squeaked. "Who is that?" he said. "Where am I?"

_We are in your head,_ came the reply.

"Who are you?"

_A protector. By your standards, I have no real name. However, some knew me as Zone Fighter._

"Zone Fighter?" The name sounded rather silly to Shinji. "Are you some kind of alien?" he asked.

_Yes._

Shinji gulped, then realized that he didn't actually have a throat to gulp with. "What are doing in my head?"

_I have no physical body. I came to Earth a long time ago to protect it. It appears that I am needed once more. However, I need to bond with someone in order to do so._

"So you chose me," Shinji said, still trying to digest the realization.

_Not really. You were the first to find me, actually. However, it appears that bonding would be necessary now. I'm not very well versed in human anatomy, but even I could tell that you'll die with that head injury of yours. If we bond, you'll be healed of your wounds. You will be bestowed with great power, Shinji. Together, we can save the world._

"I don't really think I'm qualified to be a hero." Shinji said. "I'm nobody."

_Everybody's somebody, Shinji. Heroes can come from the most unexpected places. It sounds rather corny, but trust me on that regard. My previous bond was with a test driver for race cars, and together we saved the world countless times. Besides, I can't just let you die of that wound._

"All right, I'll do it." Shinji said silently. "I'll bond with you."

_Good,_ replied Zone Fighter. With that, Shinji woke.

A/N: This is the updated chapter, I fleshed it out a bit more. Please R&R!


	3. Old Plans Gone, New Ones Made

_NERV HQ Medical Wing_

Shinji found himself in a hospital bed, looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Groaning, he rose slightly from the pillows and put a hand to his temple. Instead of feeling a bandaged wound, he found that it was completely healed. There wasn't even any sense of soreness. "I wasn't just dreaming it," he muttered to himself.

_Of course not,_ replied Zone Fighter.

"Where am I?" Shinji asked.

_I don't know, Shinji. I can only see what you see._

The door opened, and two women walked in. One of the women Shinji recognized to be Misato Katsuragi, the person he was supposed to meet. The other was a blonde woman in a lab coat. Shinji suddenly felt very awkward, considering the fact he was garbed only in a thin hospital gown.

"Good morning, Shinji. I'm Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, head of Project E," replied the blonde woman. "You gave us quite a scare with that head wound.

"I'm sorry," Shinji blurted.

Misato giggled. "You don't to apologize, Shinji."

"Sorry," Shinji replied again.

_What's the deal with the apologizing? You're not offending them by surviving a head wound, _Zone Fighter commented.

_Sorry! _Shinji replied mentally before realizing his mistake.

After a couple of rather embarrassing medical check ups, Shinji was allowed to dress in his old clothes. Scribbling something down on her clipboard, Ritsuko turned to face him again. "Follow me, Shinji. We need to get you ready for your test."

"What test?" Shinji asked, confused. "I still don't know why I'm here. Is that why I was summoned to NERV?"

Ritsuko nodded. "We're going to see how well you sync with Unit-01, as per Commander Ikari's orders."

_I don't know what this "Unit-01" is, but it sounds rather ominous, _Zone Fighter said.

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere in NERV HQ<em>

Gendo continued to observe the video feeds from the UN VTOLs. The monster, which the UN hastily gave the designation of "Large Scale Organism-01", had returned to sea after the battle, and was now being observed from a distance by VTOLs and naval vessels. It was remarkably swift in the water, already it had covered 200 miles and showed no sign of slowing. After seeing the vicious thrashing it had given the Angel, the UN had decided not to provoke it and simply contented itself with observation in the meantime.

"This event was not in the scrolls, Ikari," one of the black monoliths surrounding him said angrily. "Your Unit-01 was supposed to defeat the Angel, not this overgrown lizard."

"The scrolls have multiple interpretations and translations," replied Gendo. "It's entirely possible that this event fits within what has been written."

"We cannot let something like that fall to chance Ikari," another monolith retorted. "This 'LSO-01' must be either brought under our control or destroyed. It is too dangerous to let interfere with our plans."

"Understood," Gendo replied, as impassive as ever.

The monoliths vanished, leaving Gendo alone. Continuing to watch the footage of the monster, he wondered just where "LSO-01" was going at such a speed.

_Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Archipelago_

Godzilla finally managed to reach the shore. Clambering onto the island and shaking thousands of tons of seawater off of his body, he surveyed the land before him, looking for any familiar signs. He failed to find anything. The island was devoid of any structures built by man. He couldn't hear Baragon tunneling about, nor could he see the familiar spikes of Anguirus over the hilltops. Indeed, even the vegetation was gone, leaving the island bare to the moonlight. Godzilla remembered how islands were like that after a tsunami, having found islands wiped clean of food many times in his long life. Was a tsunami the cause for the damage to the world?

He called for his son, a bellow that echoed across the land. There was no reply.

His growing suspicious were confirmed. This was not the world he knew. Tokyo's appearance was all wrong, and the military were using antiquated weapons against the strange attacker. Although the realization that he was stranded in some strange land dismayed him, he felt a surge of hope. His son could still be alive. His friends could still be alive, even if he himself was in a world without defenders.

He realized he was mistaken in that regard. There was a defender for this world now, a guardian for the broken cities and people that were at the mercy of strange beasts. His atomic heart grew firm with resolve. Godzilla, King of the Monsters, would protect his new home. Roaring for the world to hear, he dove back into the waves.

_Somewhere over (E)Earth orbit, the same time_

The probe shimmered into existence after traveling through the wormhole bridging universes. Its design was, despite some similarities, definitely not human. Quickly it began to tap into communications networks, gathering as much information as possible regarding the planet below. Once its job was done, it relayed what it had collected back through the wormhole and self-destructed, designed to leave behind nothing that could examined.

In another universe, a collection of nonhuman beings observed the data with interest that bordered on hunger. Having finished reading over what the probe had gathered, one of them rose from its seat and grinned. "This planet is even better than we expected. The human race is already halfway gone here, and great portions of it are in turmoil."

Another alien rose. "Don't be too hasty to let loose your weapons, X. This new world is rather damaged, it would take considerable terraforming work to make it suitable. There is also the matter of these 'Evangelions' that are so cryptically described by what we could gather. I must say, their computers are rather hard to crack. We don't know how capable they are."

X grinned again. "These 'Evangelions' appear to be few. Do you really think they can withstand the might of the King of Terror itself? Our combined forces can sweep across this world and render the human race nothing more than a memory smeared across the ground."

One of the seated aliens growled in derision. "Don't pat yourself on the back. You know perfectly well that your monster is nothing more than a shadow of the real King of Terror. Nonetheless, I agree with you. This Earth is weak and without the proper defenses, and will be easy picking for our empires. Once they are gone, we can settle properly."

"You can settle if you want. Rendering those hairless primates extinct will be enough for me," X replied.

"All right then, it's settled. We must prepare for our attack. Remember to not make haste, however. We have all the time we need, considering this planet's dismal state. Use that time, and make sure that nothing can go wrong with the invasion," the second alien replied, sneering at an insectoid creature seated at the table. "After all, we have plenty of examples of what happens when your monsters are, shall we say, 'ill-prepared'."

The insect merely chittered in annoyance.

With that, they left the room, unaware of the 70,000 ton spanner in their plan lurking in the red oceans down below.


	4. Zone Fighter

_Eva Cages, NERV_

Shinji felt very uncomfortable wearing the skintight plugsuit when both Ritsuko and Misato could see him through the camera feeds. Right now, he was seated in something apparently called an entry plug, about to enter the neck of the monstrous thing called "Unit-01". He was shocked to see the purple-armored humanoid for the first time, but Zone Fighter simply stated that he had "fought freakier things." That statement didn't comfort Shinji very much. He began to question what he got himself into by bonding with Zone Fighter when the plug began to flood with a reddish liquid that smelled like blood.

"Don't panic, Shinji, that blood-like substance is LCL. It's a specially-designed oxygenated liquid. You can breathe it," Ritsuko said over the communications link. "It'll feel like drowning at first, but you'll get used to it."

_You heard her, Shinji. There's no need to panic, _Zone Fighter said.

The alien's words had a calming effect on Shinji, and he let himself breathe in the LCL, despite some trepidation. It tasted like blood as well, and the boy wondered whether or not it actually was blood. He sensed motion as the entry plug began to descend into the Evangelion. For some strange reason, he felt... secure. As if he was back in the arms of his-

"Entry plug is secure. Synchronization will begin shortly. Try to relax, Shinji," Ritsuko said over the commlink, breaking Shinji's reverie.

Shinji could hear the sound of machinery shifting through the LCL, and then... nothing. The plug remained unchanged.

In the testing center, Misato frowned. "That can't be right at all. Everyone synchs at least a little with the Eva, even if it's only two or three percent."

"The equipment doesn't lie, Misato," replied the blonde scientist. "Shinji's synch ratio is a perfect zero. Technically speaking, that shouldn't be possible."

"Something tells me that Commander Ikari won't be pleased with that," Misato said. "The only other pilot available is Rei, and I don't think she'll be piloting for a while with her injuries."

Sighing, Ritsuko pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll inform Commander Ikari about our situation. Just to be sure, we'll check the equipment again and schedule a few more tests for the week."

"Where is Shinji going to stay in the meantime?" Misato asked. "On base?"

"That'll be for the Commander to decide," Ritsuko replied. "Let's eject the plug and get Shinji back to the medical wing for further examination. Something seems off."

* * *

><p><em>NERV Medical Wing<em>

Shinji was confused. Zero synch? If what he heard from Dr. Akagi was correct, that wasn't supposed to be possible. What was wrong with him?

_Zone Fighter, can you think of anything that might explain what happened? _Shinji asked mentally.

The response was almost like that of a child caught reaching into a cookie jar. _Well, I might've changed your DNA a bit. Only a little, though, _Zone Fighter replied guiltily.

_How? This is obviously something very important, Zone Fighter._

_I gave you increased regenerative abilities for that head wound, and I made some changes so that your body would be more receptive to the transformation._

_Transformation?! That sounds like something you should have told me earlier! _Shinji replied nervously.

_It would be only temporary. When the time comes for you to use the power, you'll transform into a cyborg of sorts. It's what will allow you defeat the monsters, like the one that attacked earlier, _Zone Fighter replied matter-of-factly.

Shini's mind returned to the memory of the charcoal grey monster. _Did the other monster beat it? It looked as though they were going to fight, _he asked.

_I wouldn't be surprised. It was Godzilla, after all._

_What's a Godzilla? _Shinji asked, confused at his mental guest's familiarity with the grey monster. _You know that thing?_

It was Zone Fighter's turn to be surprised. _You don't know who Godzilla is? The King of the Monsters? Gojira? Gigantis? He has a bunch a names._

_I've never seen that thing in my entire life! _Shinji replied.

Zone Fighter was quiet for a while before he spoke again. _Shinji, who's the Prime Minister of the Earth Union?_

_Earth Union? _Shinji asked, his confusion growing by the second. _What's the Earth Union?_

_Never mind. Have you ever heard these names before? Mothra. Rodan. Anguirus. King Ghidorah. Do any of them ring a bell?_

_I have no idea what you're talking about, _Shinji replied.

Zone Fighter did the mental equivalent of a sigh. _It looks like we have a lot to talk about._

* * *

><p><em>Commander Ikari's Office, NERV HQ<em>

Gendo read the reports from Dr. Akagi regarding the Third Child. If he was surprised in any way, he failed to show even the smallest amount of it. He simply stared at the papers on his desk with the usual stony glare.

"It appears that the Third Child is incapable of piloting," Fuyutsuki said, standing behind Gendo as always. "How will this affect the Scenario?"

"The Third Child was a valuable component of the plan, but he is not irreplaceable. Another can fill his role," Gendo replied. "However, we shouldn't relinquish him just yet. Have Dr. Akagi continue tests on him. In the meantime, prepare to have the Second Child and Unit-02 flown over to Tokyo-3. If the tests continue to fail, we will still have a pilot ready."

"That'll be a lot of paperwork," Fuyutsuki commented.

"We'll manage. I've also been informed that Captain Katsuragi is concerned for the well-being of the Third Child. Have him moved to her apartment. We'll be able to keep close tabs on him from there and make the captain feel more at ease. We don't want a distracted Operations Director." Gendo rose from his desk. "In the meantime, I have to speak with the Committee again."

Gendo left the room, and Fuyutsuki couldn't help but feel a bit fearful at what the future held.

* * *

><p><em>Misato's Apartment, the next day<em>

"This is 'a little mess'?" Shinji asked quietly upon entering the apartment. "This is absolutely filthy."

_I've known kaiju with cleaner habits than this, _Zone Fighter commented. _Anyway, how are you holding up?_

_After being told that there's an entire universe where Second Impact never happened and there are monsters everywhere? I've had better days, _Shinji replied.

_Are you going to ever tell me what Second Impact exactly is? _Zone Fighter asked.

Shinji didn't answer, and simply began to clean up the pigsty known as an apartment. Zone Fighter decided not to press the matter. He could search the boy's memories, but such a thing would be immensely intrusive and he didn't wish to alienate his host.

A squawking noise drew both of their attentions. "Was that in the bathroom?" Shinji asked aloud. Opening the door with trepidation, he found himself looking down at a penguin with a collar on and claws on its flippers.

"Wark."

"What is that?!" Shinji exclaimed, backpedaling and falling down into some trash on the floor.

Misato simply walked past him to fetch some more groceries. "That's Pen-Pen. Don't be scared, he's friendly."

Pen-Pen simply regarded Shinji for a moment, shook its feathers free of moisture, and returned to its freezer. Shinji could've sworn he saw a TV inside. He decided not to give the matter much more thought, he had enough on his plate already.

_He kind of reminds me of a cuter and smaller version of Barakidon, _Zone Fighter said.

Misato walked into the kitchen with some microwaved meals. "Let's eat!"

_You know, it'll be nice to experience taste again. I haven't had a meal in 40 years, _Zone Fighter said.

Once Shinji ate a mouthful of Misato's cooking, he reminisced that he actually didn't miss taste much.

* * *

><p><em>Tokyo-3 Airport, 2 weeks later<em>

Asuka Langley Soryhu looked through the airplane window as the massive aircraft carrying Unit-02 landed on the runway. She was growing impatient, having waited an hour after landing for some security reason. Ryouji Kaji, her guardian, wasn't faring so well either, considering the fact that he was seated next to her. It wasn't that he didn't care for her, he almost thought of her as a daughter. It was just that spending several hours next to her was a bit... much.

"What's taking so long?" Asuka asked angrily. "I've been in this plane forever. Why are they making us wait?"

Kaji tried his best to pretend he didn't hear and discreetly turned up the volume on his music player as he continued to read the reports on the battle between the Angel, codenamed "Sachiel", and the mysterious "LSO-01". He was, to say at the very least, surprised upon learning some giant animal had slain the Angel. It had managed to do it without an AT-field, something that was supposed to be nigh-impossible. The very fact that something could get that big without an AT-field was also an impossibility in itself.

That was when he heard the sound of cannon fire. Turning in his seat, he saw clouds of smoke rising over the horizon. In his gut he knew it was an Angel, there was no other reason for the military to be taking action. A squadron of VTOLs flew overhead, ready to join the fight. Kaji hoped their pilots' deaths would he painless. They needed to get out of here, and fast.

"Kaji, it's coming this way!" Asuka said excitedly. "I need to get into my Eva and score my first kill!"

"We need to get away from the fight, Asuka. Unit-02 isn't fully prepped for combat just yet, and I don't think the UN has even given us official clearance to combat the Angels," Kaji replied.

Asuka grumbled but otherwise stayed quiet. Suddenly, Kaji's phone rang. Picking it up, he spoke into it, turned a tad bit paler in the face, and shoved it back into his pocket. "Get down!" Kaji shouted, tackling Asuka to the floor of the plane. If the situation hadn't been so dire, he would likely have realized how awkward of a position he was in.

There was a bright flash of light, followed a few seconds later by a shock wave. The plane, thankfully, didn't roll, but it did rock considerably. Kaji could hear debris hitting the metal like a rainstorm, and a few windows cracked from the pressure. After some time, the howling wind abated. After seeing that Asuka was alright, he rose from the floor.

"An N2 mine. They hit it with a goddamn N2 mine," he said, coughing. He walked toward the cabin, careful to avoid the broken glass. "Stay here," he told Asuka.

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere<em>

"What! It's still alive!" one of the generals exclaimed, shocked at the failure of the N2 mine. The video feed came in from a nearby VTOL, and it clearly showed the Angel standing in the crater caused by the blast. Although a good portion of its flesh had been burnt off, it was already regenerating its wounds at an alarming rate. Soon it would be on the move again, and unless they wished to repeat the blast it appeared that they were out of options.

Gendo smirked slightly under his tented hands. Even if he had been unable to convince the JSSDF the first time around, seeing their most powerful weapon fail would do the trick. So far, everything was going to plan this time around.

Another general sighed and turned to Gendo. "We'll let you have a shot, Ikari. You have full permission to use your Evangelions on this... thing."

"Thank you, general," Gendo replied without a hint of any emotion.

* * *

><p>The cabin was a mess. There was no need to check the pilots for life, Kaji could tell from where he stood that they didn't survive the blast. Swearing to himself, he looked outside of the broken windows. Already a mushroom cloud was forming in the distance, and he could see a dark shape within. The Angel had survived the blast, just as he feared. If what he knew was correct, it was probably already regenerating its wounds. He had no idea how long that'd take.<p>

Exiting the cabin, he was about to tell Asuka to gather her things when he realized that she was nowhere to be seen. There was, however, a door that hadn't been open when he entered the cabin. He didn't bother muting his swearing then.

* * *

><p><em>A few miles away<em>

"Shit!" Misato let the binoculars drop. "They hit it with an N2 mine!"

Shinji gulped nervously. What had started as simply picking up the new pilot from the airport had turned into a nightmare. An Angel was attacking, and it just survived the most powerful conventional weapon known to humanity. The outcome for the pilot down there was a grim one. However, he felt a resolve harden within him. He didn't know if it was from him or from his guest, but either way he felt it. He wasn't going to stand by when someone had given him the power to do something.

"Oh crap, Unit-02's activating!" Misato shouted. "Doesn't she know that she only has 5 minutes of battery life? She'll die out there if she decides to fight the Angel." She set the binoculars down. "Come on, Shinji, we have to-" her sentence halted when she turned and realized that the young boy was nowhere to be seen. "Shinji?"

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere<em>

Shinji stopped running and ducked behind some bushes, panting._ All right, how do I transform? _he mentally asked his alien guest.

_Just hold out your hands then bring them together, yelling out "Zone Double Fight!" _Zone Fighter replied. _In English._

Shinji halted briefly. _Are you serious? My English is terrible!_

_It has to be in English, otherwise it won't work. Trust me on that, _Zone Fighter said.

Shinji sighed. "Fine." Holding out his hands, he folded them together. "ZONE DOBURU FIGHTU!"

There was a blinding flash of light, and Shinji figured that either everything but him shrank, or he just became a lot taller.

* * *

><p><em>Tokyo-3 Airport<em>

The Angel emerged from the mushroom cloud, fully healed of its injuries. It reminded Asuka of something that isn't said in polite conversation, considering its slender and long body topped by a bulbous head. It had no visible eyes to speak of, and the core was inside something resembling a human ribcage. Glancing at the timer, Asuka saw that she had four minutes of power left. Plenty of time to beat the Angel and show off her superior piloting skills, right?

Asuka lunged, fully prepared to beat the Angel to a pulp with her Eva's hands. That was when the energy whips appeared. She barely had enough room to dodge, and she could feel the heat as they sliced through the air. Before she could turn around, the whips took hold of her ankles. It felt like hot iron was being pressed into her skin, and she had to repress a scream of pain. The Eva's legs were pulled out from under it, causing it to fall and smash into the tarmac. The Angel towered over her, ready to attack once more with its whips. She had no doubt that the whips would be able to melt right through the armor, and prepared to fight to the end. However, neither she nor the Angel could have predicted what came next.

A silver blur smashed into the Angel, smashing through its AT-field and sending it flying a good 200 meters. The Angel smashed into the tarmac with a resounding crash, creating a sizable crater in the ground and crushing some thankfully unoccupied planes. As Asuka rose, she got a good look at her unexpected savior. At first glance, it almost looked like an Eva, except taller and more muscular. However, it lacked any shoulder pylons, its armor looked more like spandex with the occasional metal plate on it, and its head was different, with some metal antennae topped by a red gem. She also noticed that the wrists appeared to have missiles around them, almost like bracelets. Overall, it looked almost like a cartoon superhero than anything else, and she had to repress a laugh at its ridiculous appearance.

The Angel rose from the ground, ready to engage its new enemy in combat. The silver giant turned and threw a clumsy punch, hitting it in the chest and cracking a few of the ribs. Asuka almost winced at how bad the giant had thrown it, it was as though it had never fought before. Nonetheless, the Angel went flying once more. Straightening its posture, the giant began to produce a bright glow from the red gem on its head. Before she could figure out what it was doing, a bright blue beam shot forth and hit the Angel in its head. A good chunk of flesh was blasted away, and the alien monster collapsed, obscured in smoke.

The battle appeared to be over. The giant relaxed noticeably and turned to face her. To her surprise, it actually _waved_ at her awkwardly. Instead of gratitude for it saving her, however, Asuka only felt angry. Her first kill was usurped by some silly giant in silver spandex! It was utterly embarrassing for the great Asuka Langley Soryhu. She was about to activate her external speakers and berate the thing when the Angel proved itself to be far from dead. Energy whips wrapped themselves about the giant's throat. The silver humanoid fell to its knees, and actually cried out in pain. The Angel began to pump more energy into the whips, and smoke began to rise from where it made contact.

Asuka was almost tempted to let the giant choke for a little, but decided that it had saved her life, she might as well make it even. Pulling out her prog knife, she lunged once more. All it took was two swipes for the whips to be cut in half, freeing the giant from the chokehold it found itself in. Turning about, she jabbed the core with her knife, imbedding it about halfway. She began to push, but found that it was taking too long. The Angel would regenerate its whips at any time. Suddenly silver hands enveloped her own and pushed as well. The giant had recovered and was helping her. She could feel the raw strength coming from the thing by her side, it was unbelievable just how strong it actually was. With their combined force, the knife split the core. The Angel exploded into a cloud of LCL, spraying a great deal of the surrounding area.

When the LCL stopped coming down, Asuka found that the silver giant was nowhere to be seen. It didn't really matter to her, she had gotten her first kill! Sure the giant helped, but that was all it did: help. The Eva's power finally ran out, but not before she put it in a position that made recovery a lot easier. All the while she grinned to herself, thinking how pleased everyone would be with her.

* * *

><p><em>A few miles away<em>

Shinji landed back where he started, a human-sized version of the form he took fighting the Angel. With a flash of light, he was back to his normal self. He rubbed his throat where the whips had wrapped themselves and winced. "I didn't think I actually had it in me to fight like that," he told himself. "I actually punched an Angel in the face!"

_I knew I chose well,_ Zone Fighter said. There was a brief pause, and then suddenly Shinji heard laughter in his head. _I can't believe you actually said "Zone Double Fight!"_

_Are you telling me I didn't have to do that whole silly routine? _Shinji asked.

_Of course not. I'm from outer space, why would the magic words be in English? I just wanted to have some fun with you, I don't have many opportunities to do that._

_It wasn't that funny, _Shinji replied.

_I thought it was hilarious. My old host never realized he didn't need to actually do that, you just need to think of transforming. For 7 years he did the whole routine when a Terro-Beast came around. _Zone Fighter paused briefly._ I just wanted to do it for old time's sake. It's been too long since I last fought, it brings back old memories._

Shinji sighed. _Will it make you feel better if I do the routine?_

_Yes, please._

There was some shouting in the distance, and Shinji realized that Misato must still be looking for him. Sighing once more, he headed to where the purple-haired woman had parked, although with a little more spring in his step.

_A few minutes later_

The car pulled into the airport, or at least what was left of it. The red Evangelion was in the middle of the tarmac, being attended to by recovery crews. Shinji could see the hole in the ground where he had tackled the Angel, and smiled a bit to himself. Aside from having to explain to Misato where he was (hiding after seeing the N2 mine go off, per Zone Fighter's suggestion), the ride had been uneventful.

Misato parked in one of the few spaces untouched by the battle and exited the vehicle, Shinji following after her. Soon they came to where they were told the new pilot and her guardian would be waiting. Sure enough, they were there. Shinji's breath caught in his throat at the sight of the red-headed beauty in a yellow sundress, and had to take care not to stare.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Misato said, shaking the pilot's hand. "You've grown quite a bit."

"I know, my figure's filled out since last time," the pilot said. She turned to Shinji and frowned slightly. "This is the washout, huh?"

"Now, now, don't be so rude," the guardian, a young man with stubble, said. He extended a hand, which Shinji shook. "Ryouji Kaji, glad to make your acquaintance."

"Uh, thanks, I guess." Shinji replied uneasily. He extended a hand to the pilot. "I'm Shinji Ikari, the Third Child."

Asuka reluctanly shook his hand. "Asuka Langley Soryhu. Second Child." As she shook Shinji's hand, she couldn't help but notice the red marks around his throat that seemed awfully familiar...

_100 miles away, the Pacific Ocean_

Godzilla paused briefly as he swam towards Japan once more. He could no longer sense the monster he had detected over the ocean. It was as if something else had killed it. Reaching out with his senses once more, he could detect two other beings. One was like some strange mixture of monster scent and human, something he had never smelled before. The other scent, however, was a most familiar one. Apparently he wasn't the only one to have found himself in this new world. Seeing that he needn't head to Japan, he changed course to the area he had sensed to be rich in radiation. If he was to protect this world, he needed power.


	5. Operation Yashima! Godzilla Appears!

_Under the Indian Ocean, 2000 miles from Tokyo-3_

Godzilla set to work, his spines glowing blue as he began to absorb atomic radiation from the surrounding area. He had been doing this for the past 2 weeks, swimming from hotspot to hotspot. With a sense of dismay he noted that the hotspots were frequently in the ruins of old cities, flooded by the coming of the sea of blood. Not all of this world's suffering came from the bizarre monsters he had sensed. He was surprised that he detected no other native monsters coming up to feed after such high amounts of radiation were produced. This world he had decided to protect was a strange one indeed.

Finally, all of the radiation had been drained from the hotspot, and he pushed off of the ocean floor, ready to head to the next one. However, the tingling in the back of his head returned. Another monster was on the move. As he changed course and began to swim faster, he noted that there was at least one thing in common shared by his old home and his new one: Japan was a magnet for giants.

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ, Commander Ikari's Office<em>

The past few days had been nothing but a long headache for Gendo. Naturally, he didn't show any sign of it, but Fuyutsuki could tell nonetheless. Together they were looking at footage taken by a JSSDF VTOL. It showed Unit-02 fighting the Angel and then being assisted by some...thing. Fuyutsuki didn't know what exactly to call it. It was a silver giant that looked almost like a superhero from cheap comic books he once read as a young boy. It was a far cry from either an Evangelion or the so-called "LSO-01" that had defeated the Fourth Angel so easily.

"This complicates things, Ikari," Fuyutsuki said. "The scrolls definitely do not mention this. Did the MAGI manage to get any analysis on it?"

Gendo shifted slightly. "No. By the time we had even found out what was happening it disappeared. However, the MAGI have managed to determine the blood pattern of LSO-01." He sighed lightly, a rare sight for even Fuyutsuki. "It's orange. That essentially means we have no idea what it actually is."

"Perhaps it's a long-forgotten species of dinosaur," Fuyutsuki commented. "It certainly looked like one."

"I doubt that, Fuyutsuki. Any creature that size without an AT-field should collapse underneath their own weight, let alone defeat an Angel," Gendo retorted.

"Very well then. Do we know where LSO-01 is right now?" Fuyutsuki asked, shifting the topic slightly.

"It's near India right now. It drained the ruins of Mumbai of radiation, just like it did to the other cities." Gendo replied. "It's rather easy to find when it's near the surface, but it frequently dives to the bottom and the UN is reluctant to send submarines after it."

"It seems to have done nothing but good," Fuyutsuki said. "It killed an Angel, and now it's cleaning up the mess caused by the Impact Wars. Perhaps it's for the best that it appeared."

"It's an unpredictable factor in the Scenario and must be taken care of," Gendo said icily.

Before anything more could be discussed, the intercom on Gendo's desk turned on. "Commander, we have detected a Pattern Blue over the Pacific. It will reach Tokyo-3 in 2 hours," Dr. Akagi said urgently.

"I'm on my way," Gendo replied. Turning to Fuyutsuki, he simply said, "We'll discuss how to handle 'LSO-01' later."

* * *

><p><em>Misato's Apartment, around the same time<em>

Shinji began making his way up the steps after a long day at school. The teacher was completely boring, droning on and on about Second Impact. Zone Fighter, however, had listened with rapt attention, occasionally asking Shinji a question to fill a hole in his knowledge. He had also proved immensely helpful in regards to the occasional worksheets handed out. Shinji figured that he could compete with supercomputers with how quickly he produced answers to even the most difficult math questions.

He had also made friends in school. There was Toji, a tall and muscular boy who constantly wore a tracksuit in violation of dress code; and Kensuke, a rather nerdy and short boy with glasses and a vast knowledge of military equipment. Kensuke was particularly interested in Shinji after learning that he was a candidate for piloting, that interest only diminished slightly upon discovering that he had washed out.

Rei was an enigma. He had tried befriending the pilot, but she said little. Apparently she had no interest in anything that wasn't related to NERV, and thus was unapproachable in that regard. Zone Fighter had expressed his confusion as to how she had blue hair, and asked Shinji if he could install a small scanner in his brain to find out. Naturally, Shinji declined that particular request.

He brushed these thoughts out of his head as he made it to the entrance to the apartment. Upon opening it, however, he found that the entire place was filled with cardboard boxes. Wordlessly he stood, staring in shock at the sight before him. Recovering somewhat, he entered the apartment and was about to open one of the boxes when suddenly he felt someone behind him.

"Get out of that box, baka!"

Shinji spun around and found himself facing a certain fiery redhead. She was dressed only in a shirt and some shorts that were far too small for Shinji's comfort. Her beautiful face was contorted by annoyance, and she tapped her foot impatiently.

"What are you doing here?" Shinji inquired.

Asuka smiled deviously. "Moving in of course. It appears that Misato has decided to replace you with a superior model, an actual pilot instead of a washout."

"What about my stuff? You didn't just toss it out, did you?" Shinji asked, concerned.

"I granted you a small privilege, I packed your junk for you so you can get out of here faster." Asuka smirked again. However, her smirk disappear when Misato appeared.

"Shinji's not moving out, Asuka. You're both living here," Misato said happily.

"What?!" Shinji and Asuka said at the same time.

_This is going to be fairly interesting, _Zone Fighter noted.

"I can't live in the same home as a boy! I'm a girl!" Asuka said, exasperated.

"Commander Ikari felt it would be important for the pilots to get along," Misato replied, seemingly oblivious to Asuka's growing anger.

"But he's just a washout!" Asuka shouted, stamping her foot down.

"We think it's just an issue with the equipment. It's biologically impossible for a zero synch, and you know that." Misato was about to say more when her phone rang suddenly, a cackle like ringing bells that made Zone Fighter mentally jolt. "Looks like we have a situation. Asuka, you're coming with me. Shinji, don't leave the apartment, it'll be far too dangerous for you."

The purple-haired woman left with Asuka in tow shortly thereafter, leaving Shinji alone in the apartment. Well, not alone per se, he still had an alien in his head and an unusual penguin in the freezer.

_It seems you have a crush, _Zone Fighter said playfully.

_WHAT?! I do not, _Shinji replied. _She's unbelievably rude._

_Don't try to fool me, Shinji. I felt your heart rate increase in your chest, and your body began to spike in production of certain hormones. Hikaru was just the same when he was on a date, _Zone Fighter replied.

_What was with that jolt? I've never felt you that on edge, _Shinji asked, deflecting the topic.

_It's... I heard something that I hoped never to hear again, _Zone Fighter replied. _Anyway, it appears there's a situation on hand._

Shinji decided not to press the topic. _All right then, let's go out there. _He stretched out his hands and brought them back together. "ZONE DOBURU FIGHTU!"

* * *

><p><em>Tokyo-3<em>

The Angel had arrived, a blue octahedron much larger than even an Evangelion. It slowly moved through the air, making a beeline for the ground right above the Geofront. Asuka watched it through a camera feed in the Entry Plug, clenching her fists around the controls. The Angel was definitely unsettling, to say at the least.

Misato's voice crackled over the communications link. "Unit-02, launch!"

Asuka was pressed into her seat as the elevator shot upwards to the city. It soon passed, however, and she suddenly found herself above ground. The Angel was about a kilometer away, dead in her sight. A weapon's storage unit was rising, and she prepared to grab an assault rifle and blast the Angel to bits. Then everything went to hell.

The Angel shifted its shape in a way that made Asuka's head hurt. It formed something like two jagged hunks of blue glass exposing the core, and then it _screamed_. A purple beam shot out and hit her right in the chest, piercing her AT-field. Asuka stifled a cry that tried to escape her lips. It felt like someone was taking a blowtorch to her heart.

The Angel shifted once more, transforming into a cross shape. Everything slowed down for Asuka. She could see the buildup of energy as the Angel prepared an even more powerful blast. She could hear Misato and the techies back below trying to get her to safety, and knew it would be too late. That was when something else intervened.

A blue beam hit the Angel, breaking some of the glasslike shards of one of the cross's "arms". The Angel shifted position and refigured into the second shape it had taken. As the elevator dropped to safety, Asuka could've sworn she saw a glint of silver in the corner of her eye.

* * *

><p>As the Angel turned to him and prepared to fire, Shinji began to wonder if trying to fight this thing was a bad idea. Indeed, if it weren't for the calming influence of Zone Fighter on his mind, he would have likely entered a fetal position, telling himself not to run away. As it was, he trembled slightly.<p>

The Angel fired, and Shinji dodged behind a building. The beam boiled away a nearby stretch of mountainside, then turned. The building burned away quickly, and Shinji felt a burning sensation on his back. He was actually sent into motion by the blast, being gradually pushed by the beam. Shinji could feel the heat through his armor.

"Hothothothothothot!" Shinji yelped, trying to get out of the way. No matter where he went, however, the beam followed. It was getting even hotter now, his armor steaming from the sheer power of the Angel's attack.

* * *

><p><em>NERV Ops Center<em>

Misato watched through the camera feeds as the Angel continued to roast the silver giant. Her fist clenched. The giant had helped Asuka defeat the Fifth Angel, and had saved her life by distracting the current one. There was no way she was going to stand by and let it die.

"Raise a blast shield between the Angel and the giant!" She barked.

Suddenly, a voice above her cut in. "Belay that order," Commander Ikari said. "We don't know if this thing is a threat or not. I'm unwilling to take chances."

Misato clenched her teeth. "With all due respect, Commander, that 'thing' saved the Second Child's life _twice._ I highly doubt it's a threat."

There was a brief pause. "Raise the shield," Gendo said finally.

Hyuga began dancing his fingers across his console. "Done, sir."

_Directly Above_

Just as Shinji began to wonder how long it was before his armor gave way and he broiled to a fine crisp, a blast shield rose out of the ground, blocking the beam. However, he could see that it was already beginning to melt, and soon he would be in trouble again.

_Shinji! Shrink back to human size and move to the side. If it can't find you, it can't hit you, _Zone Fighter said.

Shinji did as told. Once he made it to an underpass, he turned back to his normal self. He felt as though he had a sunburn all over his body, and winced as he sat down to catch his breath. If he found a mirror, he'd undoubtedly look as pink as a lobster. _That was too close, _he said mentally.

_I agree. We need a way to fight it without having to get into firing range. Perhaps we could team up with that red thing again, _Zone Fighter suggested. _It could do that hexagon thing while you shoot it with the Meteor Missiles._

_I don't think that'll work, _Shinji replied. _Didn't you feel how powerful that beam was?_

_Fair point. Perhaps we should wait to see what they'll do and fit our plan around that._

_Sounds good to me, _Shinji said, wincing once more. _How much longer until the burn disappears?_

_5 minutes, give or take, _Zone Fighter replied. _It will take longer for you to get back to full power, however._

Shinji shrugged. _Let's try to find out what they're doing. I think I know someone who could get that information._

* * *

><p><em>In a shelter beneath Tokyo-3<em>

Kensuke was bored.

He had spent the last hour or so in the shelter, sitting next to Toji. Unfortunately, Toji was too preoccupied chatting up the class rep, leaving Kensuke with no one to talk with. Surprisingly enough, the internet was still up, but soon he grew tired of the same discussion repeating itself over and over again on his laptop.

Suddenly, someone sat down next to him. Turning, Kensuke saw it was Shinji. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I didn't see you here the last two times."

Shinji chuckled nervously. "N-never really had to. I'm only here to ask you something, anyway."

"Which is?" Kensuke asked, his interest piqued.

"I need you to tell me if you find anything about what NERV plans to do about the Angel. I know you read stuff they don't want you to," Shinji replied.

"Why do you need that information?" Kensuke inquired.

Shinji paused briefly before continuing. "I really can't tell you. It's secret pilot stuff."

Kensuke nodded in understanding. "I'll call you if I find anything, assuming that the phone line will still be working."

Shinji smiled. "Thanks, Kensuke." With that, he got up and left.

Kensuke's brow furrowed. Whatever Shinji was hiding, he was determined to find out.

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

"We're going to what?" Asuka asked in disbelief.

"We're going to snipe the Angel," Misato replied calmly in her so-called "Command Voice". "We have something called a positron rifle, a gun that will use all of the power in Japan to breach the Angel's AT-field from afar and kill it so that it can't get at us."

"What if it sees us?" Asuka asked. "That beam was incredibly accurate."

"We'll be distracting it with the point-defenses while you ready the rifle. If that fails, Rei will be on standby with a heat shield from the Space Shuttle. We don't know how long it'll last, however."

Asuka took a deep breath. "All right. When are doing it?"

"At 0200 hours. The Angel is currently drilling into the Geofront, and will be able to breach all of the armor layers by 0600. This is our only chance." Misato said gravely.

Asuka nodded. "Let's get to work," she said, adding a small grin.

* * *

><p><em>The Pacific Ocean, 50 miles from Tokyo-3<em>

Godzilla surged through the ocean, his dorsal spines slicing through the waves like knives. This new monster was far more powerful than the other one, he sensed. He would have to put more effort into the coming battle if he wanted to destroy it and protect the city.

He had also detected the familiar scent earlier. The new monster must have driven his old ally off, or even killed him. The thought of it just made him angrier. Growling, he pushed harder, making it past 60 knots. He would arrive in the city soon, and face the new monster that dared to attack his new home.

And it would _burn._

* * *

><p><em>Tokyo-3, some time later<em>

Shinji's phone buzzed. He rose from his sleeping mat where he had resting after his disastrous first fight with the Angel. "Hello?" he asked.

"Shinji? It's Kensuke. I actually found something juicy."

"What is it, then?" Shinji asked, sitting upright now.

"There's words being thrown around like 'positron rifle' and 'Operation Yashima.' It's pretty fascinating stuff," Kensuke replied.

"What's a positron rifle? A big gun of sorts?" Shinji inquired, suddenly feeling rather nervous.

"_A _big gun? Shinji, this is **the** big gun. If what I've seen is correct, they're actually going to use all of Japan's power to charge the damn thing." Kensuke said, his voice excited. "If only I could record it in action!"

Shinji thanked Kensuke and numbly put the phone down. "All of Japan's power," he mumbled, still in shock.

_Looks like we have a plan, _Zone Fighter said.

Shinji nodded and rose from the sleeping mat. _They're going to need our help, aren't they?_

_Most likely, _Zone Fighter replied. _Let's suit up._

Shinji stretched out his hands and brought them in. "ZONE DOBURU FIGHTU!"

Zone Fighter laughed as they headed out.

* * *

><p><em>Some distance away from Tokyo-3<em>

Everything was in position. Asuka was prone to the ground, cradling the absolutely enormous rifle in her hands. Rei stood nearby in Unit-00, holding the heat shield from the Space Shuttle. It was a still quiet, only broken by the occasional hum from the massive power transformers behind her. She gritted her teeth and aimed down the sights. The Angel was visible, back to its original form of an octahedron. It had extended a portion of it down into the ground, drilling through the extensive layers of armor protecting NERV HQ.

Misato's voice crackled in over the communications link. "Stage One, begin!"

It began with a swarm of missiles that appeared over the horizon. Asuka estimated there were at least a hundred of them, leaving trails of smoke behind them. The Angel stopped drilling and shifted its shape once more, forming a spinning wheel of sorts. A violet beam shot out and scythed through the missiles in an perfect arc, detonations following in its wake. When the missiles were followed by an artillery barrage, the Angel shifted into a more protective form, its AT-field shimmering with each impact.

"Asuka, do you have a shot?" Misato asked.

"Affirmative," Asuka replied. "Permission to fire?"

"Permission granted. Good luck, Asuka," replied Misato.

There was a great hum behind her, and she could feel the rifle charge. Pulling the trigger, she jerked from the recoil as a beam shot out from the barrel and sped towards the Angel. There was a sound like glass hitting glass, and the Angel took a chaotic, spikier form. And then it _howled._

"I missed?!" Asuka exclaimed, surprised. "Preparing another shot."

It was too late. The Angel took its cross shape and fired. Rei rushed forward with the shield and stood in its path. Asuka could see a glow from where the beam deflected to the sides, vaporizing the soil wherever it touched.

There was no telling how long she had before the shield gave way. As she began to charge the second shot, an animalistic roar rolled across the land, vibrating the LCL in the plug.

"What was that?" she said silently.

_On a hill on the outskirts of Tokyo-3_

"Holy crap, did you see that?" Kensuke exclaimed excitedly, his camera raised to watch the battle raging before him. The Angel had shifted shapes and was now firing at some position beyond his sight, burning nearby trees in the process.

"Yeah, I saw it. That's why I wan't to go," Toji replied nervously, grabbing Kensuke by the arm. "We gotta bounce, man. I don't wanna get fried."

Just then, a roar sounded out very close to the two of them. The boys instinctively covered their ears. "What the hell was that?!" Toji asked, visibly frightened.

He was answered when they heard the sound of thousands of tons of water displacing. Turning, they saw a huge shape emerging from the dark sea, obscured in the darkness. Even then the two boys felt tell that what stood before them was the most awe-inspiring thing they ever saw, a living mountain of steel-like muscle sheathed in impenetrable scales that glistened in the moonlight.

The Angel had noticed as well. It changed form again, turning into a typical star shape. First it screamed, and then an even bigger beam shot forth, it was so intense that the boys had to cover their eyes to prevent themselves from going blind. The beam hit the beast dead on, fully illuminating its titanic shape. Another roar emanated from the beast, and then it was obscured by the large cloud of steam rising from the boiling sea.

Confident that the beast had been destroyed, the Angel simply turned back to its original position and fired its beam, blasting a large part of the mountainside away. It failed to notice the shape flying overhead.

* * *

><p>Asuka seriously doubted her survival now. The shot was still charging, and the shield was already glowing and melting from the heat of the beam. Rei was visibly straining to hold the shield, Unit-00's armor was steaming in some places. Finally, it exploded, knocking Rei back and engulfing Asuka in a broiling heat. She screamed, producing bubbles in the LCL. She felt like a lobster in a pot, ready for dining. Just when she felt like she was going to black out, something dove in the way, taking the full brunt of the blast and sparing her a grisly death.<p>

Asuka gasped. It was _him_. The silver giant had returned, and was producing some energy shield that wasn't an AT-field, blocking the beam. Comically enough, it actually looked like a shield from the olden days. Asuka rose unsteadily, and realized with dismay that the rifle had been destroyed, reduced to a pile a slag. To make it worse, even the giant's shield was giving way, cracking almost like glass. All seemed lost when that roar sounded again, chilling her to the bone. The Angel turned away and aimed at something beyond her view. Asuka wondered what could have garnered its attention. She could've sworn that the harbor was actually glowing blue.

* * *

><p>"HOLY SHIT!" Kensuke exclaimed.<p>

A blue glow was emanating from the steam. It silhouetted the tip a long tail, then travelled upwards along the beast's spine, illuminating its jagged dorsal plates. Kensuke heard a low groan increasing in pitch, like someone running their hand along a guitar string. Taking a stance, the beast puffed up its chest, and Kensuke could have sworn he saw another glow in its throat.

The Angel fired, the beam traveling along the water. Just before it hit, however, something happened that Kensuke would hold dear for the rest of his life.

An azure beam erupted forth from the monster's throat, colliding with the Angel's own. Then, to Kensuke's astonishment, it began to push it _back._ The beam moved forward, barely slowed at all by the formally-believed-unstoppable attack of the Angel. Finally, it reached the Angel itself, and in a humongous explosion, _destroyed it._

There was a silence that hung in the air. Then the monster roared in victory, the soil beneath Kensuke actually shuddering with the force behind it. It then simply turned back and headed back into the ocean, nearly capsizing some docked boats nearby.

Kensuke turned to ask Toji if he was just dreaming, only to see that the boy had actually fainted and was lying on the ground. Kensuke suppressed a laugh and began to help his friend.

* * *

><p>The battle was over. Something had just destroyed the Angel in a humongous explosion that was visible for miles around. Asuka rose to her feet, unsteady. The giant was helping Unit-00 to its feet. Asuka noted that a light on its belt was blinking.<p>

"Are you alright?" the giant panted in a deep voice.

"Y-yes," Asuka replied via the Eva's external speakers.

"Good," the giant said, visibly relieved. Then, in a flash of light, it was gone.

* * *

><p><em>Misato's Apartment, some time later<em>

Asuka and Misato entered, both of them visibly tired. Misato yawned, scratching her back. "Is Shinji here? Go check," she told the young pilot before heading to her own room. Asuka already heard her snoring when she headed to the washout's room.

The boy was sleeping peacefully on his mat, an SDAT player plugged into his ears. She didn't know why, but she felt relieved seeing him there okay. As she exited his room to get some well-deserved sleep, she couldn't help but notice what appeared to be a sunburn on his face.

A/N: So ends Operation Yashima! I hoped you liked it. It may be some time (two or three days) before you get another chapter. Don't worry, I have no intention of just dropping this fic without notice for a long time.

Next up: Jet Alone, and someone back on Toho Earth manages to get through the wormhole (not spoiling who, though.)


	6. Two Jets, One Shinji

Monster_ Island, (G)Earth_

Captain Gordon looked out of the window and sighed. It had been a few weeks since Godzilla and the Zone Capsule disappeared. Thankfully, there hadn't been monster activity in the meantime, but it would only be a matter of time before an alien virus infected a squid or something else strange happened. They needed Godzilla back, and quickly. Anguirus and Rodan were tough monsters, but they worked best when teamed up with Godzilla. Mothra had recently reincarnated, and it would be some time before she would be ready to fight. If something particularly bad came along, it would be a much tougher fight without their most powerful fighter.

His reverie was broken when Dr. Otonashi barged in, waving some papers about. "Captain, I believe I've found it!" she said excitedly, a genuine look of glee on her face.

Gordon's brow furrowed. "Found what?"

"The dimension where Godzilla and the Zone Capsule went," Ontonashi replied. "Each universe has its own specific energy signature. I've managed to replicate the one we detected when the Dimension Tide went haywire. All we need to do is make a controlled singularity and we could retrieve him."

"How do we make a controlled singularity?" Gordon asked.

Miyuki's face fell somewhat. "We would need complicated machinery on both ends. We could send things across without it, but the wormhole would be unstable and drop off whatever entered it anywhere within the planet's gravity well. Therefore, we need to send someone across to make the machinery necessary to create a stable and controlled singularity."

"Who could do that?" Gordon asked. Then the realization hit him. "Of course," he said.

Dr. Ontonashi nodded. "We're ready to send him across. All we need is your permission."

"Permission granted," Gordon replied. "Let's hope he can do it, Dr. Ontonashi."

Miyuki grinned. "I have full faith in his capabilities. He is Dr. Ibuki's son, after all."

_An apartment in Tokyo-3, (E)Earth_

Ryouji Kaji shut the door behind him, exhausted. He had spent all day juggling reports and investigations from both SEELE, NERV, and the UN. It was not easy work, and his attempts to find out what was truly going on had been fruitless so far. All Kaji wanted to do was relax a bit and catch some sleep before the cycle continued. Unfortunately for him, fate had something else in mind for the triple agent.

That something appeared in a flash of light in his living room. Instinctively he drew his sidearm, only to find himself pointing it at a... robot. At least, he was sure it was a robot. It had a metallic sheen to it, but it was also rather colorful, with a permanent grin etched into its face. Rectangular eyes looked into his, betraying no emotion whatsoever. It simply raised its hands in the universal symbol of "I mean no harm."

"W-who are you?" Kaji asked rather nervously, not used to the idea of a robot in his living room.

The robot's mouth remained motionless, but it spoke with a mechanical, yet distinctly male, voice. "This may sound rather outlandish to you, but you have already seen something out of the ordinary, Mr Kaji. Please believe me."

"How do you know my name?" Kaji demanded.

"It's on your name tag." the robot replied.

Kaji's gun lowered somewhat. "Oh," he said simply. Then he remembered the situation he was in, and raised the gun once more. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"I am an artificial intelligence inhabiting a mechanical body designed by the Earth Union," replied the robot. "My name is Jet Jaguar."

Kaji had to restrain himself from bursting out into laughter. "Jet Jaguar? It's a rather... unusual name."

"I chose it myself," Jet Jaguar replied. "I am a traveler from another universe. I came here to find a friend of mine who accidentally found himself lost in this universe."

Kaji sighed. "If it weren't for all of the kooky shit going on right now, and the fact that I'm talking with a goddamn robot called 'Jet Jaguar', I wouldn't have believed you." He lowered the gun and sat down in a nearby chair. "Who's your friend?"

"He's about 100 meters tall, scaly, and rather temperamental," Jet Jaguar replied.

Kaji straightened in his seat. "Are you talking about LSO-01?!"

"Is that what you are calling him?" Jet Jaguar asked. "It's been a while since I've heard such unimaginative designations."

"What do you call him, then?" Kaji inquired.

"We call him Godzilla," replied Jet Jaguar. "I take it that you are familiar with him?"

"He's been a pain in my neck," Kaji replied.

"He hasn't done any damage here, has he?" asked Jet Jaguar. "He may be rather temperamental, but he never would just attack humans unprovoked."

"It's not that. In fact, he's saved our asses a few times," Kaji admitted. "I'm dealing with certain political situations that just spiraled out of control when he showed up out of nowhere."

"What political situations are you talking about?" Jet Jaguar inquired. "They may hinder or help my mission. I need to know."

"I can't just tell you, my apartment's probably bugged." Kaji sighed and rose from his chair. "Hell, I've probably spilled too many beans already."

Jet Jaguar pressed something on his wrist. Kaji felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. "I've activated a suppression field, Mr. Kaji. We may talk freely," the robot said.

Kaji decided to pour himself a drink before sitting back down. "It's quite a long story."

"I have time," replied Jet Jaguar. He didn't sit down, but simply stood like a statue, motionless.

Kaji began to tell what he knew about SEELE, NERV, and Second Impact. As he continued, the robot's interest and horror grew hand in hand.

* * *

><p><em>Misato's apartment<em>

Shinji woke with a start. His dreams were getting weirder every night, and Zone Fighter hopping in didn't help. Sitting up, he found that Asuka was standing in the doorway, watching him intently. He wondered how long she had been there.

"Breakfast. Now," the pilot said before sharply turning and walking out of his room.

Shinji dressed hurriedly and made his way down to the kitchen, where Misato and Asuka were sitting in wait for their meal. Shinji began to cook some breakfast, occasionally helped by suggestions from Zone Fighter. Apparently the alien had perfect recall, and remembered all of the recipes his previous host used. Setting the three plates on the table, he sat down to eat.

"How did the operation go?" Shinji asked, trying to make some small talk.

"We're still alive, so of course we got the Angel," Misato replied before horking down her food like "a hungry Baragon", to quote Zone Fighter.

"Something stole my kill." Asuka grumbled. "They won't even tell me what it was."

"Was it the same thing Misato and I saw a few weeks earlier?" Shinji asked.

Misato suddenly stopped eating. "You remember that, don't you," she said, more of a statement than an inquiry. Sighing, she set her plate down and prepared for the oncoming barrage of questions.

"What! You knew what it was and you didn't tell me?" Asuka practically shouted. "That could have been rather important, Misato!"

"I was ordered by Commander Ikari not to tell you anything about LSO-01. Hell, I was only told anything because I saw it first." Misato pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What is 'LSO-01"? It doesn't sound like something that can kick and Angel's ass," Asuka said, leaning back in her chair.

"It's a non-Angelic creature. Its name stands for Large Scale Organism," Misato replied.

"That means it doesn't have an AT-field. How the hell could it fight Angels?" Asuka asked.

Misato shrugged. "There are only two ways to breach an AT-field. One is to have your own AT-field to counteract it, hence the Evangelions. The other way is with an absurd amount of force. LSO-01 appears to have the latter."

"So this 'LSO-01' killed the Angel?" Asuka was keenly interested now, leaning forward on the table and propping herself up in a way that made Shinji blush.

"It actually killed both the Fourth and the 6th Angels," Misato replied. She sighed softly before continuing. "I didn't mention this in the official report, but it actually saved our lives."

"By killing the Angels before it got to the Geofront?" Asuka asked.

Shinji decided to enter the conversation. "It's not that," he said, shaking his head slightly. "When Misato came to pick me up, the military was fighting the Angel. It swatted down a gunship and it was bearing down on us. Godzilla caught it before it could crush us. He actually went out of his way to save Misato and I."

Asuka tilted her head. "Godzilla?"

Shinji realized his mistake. "O-oh, it's just... a name I chose for it. It's an... old sea dragon from ancient mythology."

_Smooth, _Zone Fighter said.

Shinji got up from his seat, his breakfast half-finished. "I'm going to the arcade with Kensuke and Toji. I'll see you later," he said, briskly walking out of the apartment.

There was a silence that hung in the air for a moment after Shinji left. Misato finished her breakfast and rose from her chair. "I've got to go as well. I have to be at the inauguration of some prototype the military hopes can replace the Evas. Ritsuko thinks it's a load of crap, though."

Just as she was about to leave, Asuka stopped her, grasping at her sleeve. "Have you ever noticed something strange about Shinji?" she asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

Misato considered the question briefly. "There's another thing I didn't mention in the report. When I went to get Shinji, he had a severe wound on his temple, probably from debris kicked up during the attack. There was so much blood I thought he was going to die. I decided to get him to the infirmary at NERV ASAP and made him a makeshift bandage in the meantime. He was unconscious for the entire time. But when Ritsuko and some medics peeled back the bandage, there was nothing. Not even a scar."

"I've seen some strange things too, Misato," Asuka said. "When I met him for the first time, he had burn marks around his neck, but they disappeared when we arrived at NERV. And yesterday, he had a sunburn or something all over him, yet he was completely fine this morning. There's something really weird going on, Misato, and I want to get to the bottom of it."

Misato walked out of the apartment, silent as the grave. Asuka rose from her chair, also leaving her meal unfinished. Briefly she considered snooping around his room, but realized that he'd notice. Sighing, she laid back on the couch and put on a movie.

* * *

><p><em>Kaji's Apartment, the next morning<em>

Jet Jaguar had been silent for some time after Kaji told him what he knew about SEELE and its plans. The robot weighed all of the possibilities of Kaji's words. Three billion people dead. An ancient conspiracy that desired to destroy individuality via the flesh of alien precursors and the destruction of all opposition. These factors, plus thousands more, ran through his mechanical brain. Then it decided to take action.

First, he deactivated the suppression field around Kaji's apartment. Then, he asked Kaji for access to the internet. The triple agent handed him a laptop, which was promptly plugged into the back of the robot's head. A few minutes passed, and then he removed the plug.

"I have accessed the entirety of your internet, Mr. Kaji," Jet Jaguar said in its mechanical monotone. "All relevant data not stored within the MAGI themselves is now in my head. I must say, it's a rather small amount compared to back home."

"What have you found?" Kaji asked, amazed at the capabilities of the garishly colored machine before him.

"The exact specifications of the Evas, the nature of the S2 engine and the Angels, and reports filed by NERV on Godzilla and Zone Fighter," replied Jet Jaguar.

"Zone Fighter? Is that the silver giant that helped fight the Fifth Angel?" asked Kaji.

"That is correct. Zone Fighter is a self-aware energy being that symbiotically bonds with physical life forms. He came to my Earth in 1973 to help fight off secret attacks by the Garoga, which is a story for another time." Jet Jaguar replied.

"So, if Zone Fighter's a symbiotic being, who does he bond with?"

"The intelligent species on the planet he visits. In this case, that means humans." Jet Jaguar paused briefly, running some calculations in his head. "He has likely bonded with a human in the country."

"What makes you say that?" Kaji asked, starting to come more and more to terms with the strange situation he found himself in.

"Zone Fighter has certain limitations. Foremost, he usually only has enough energy to stay in giant form for a few minutes at a time. He also can only fly at Mach 1," the robot replied.

Kaji's eyes widened. "_Only _Mach 1?!"

Jet Jaguar nodded. "He is far from the fastest flier back on my Earth. In order to respond to the Angel attacks and have enough energy to fight, he must be within the country."

Kaji decided to go along with that. Jet Jaguar was obviously more well-versed in the topic than he was. A funny thought struck him. "You know, your name reminds me of another robot."

The robot titled its head slightly. "You mean the Jet Alone machine? I noted the similarity myself, my creator nearly named me 'Red Alone'. It is quite striking."

Suddenly, Kaji remembered something. "It's testing today. It's also supposed to be sabotaged by NERV so it can't divert away funding."

The robot considered Kaji's statement, then made its way to the window. "Stay here, Mr. Kaji. I shall deal with the machine."

As the robot suddenly flew away, Kaji wondered what he meant by that statement.

* * *

><p><em>Tokyo-3, the arcade<em>

Toji and Kensuke were playing the newest addition to the arcade, some dancing game that Shinji found to be rather silly. Nonetheless, he was enjoying playing games with his friends. Sometimes living with Misato and Asuka was just too much.

During their entire time at the arcade, Kensuke only talked about 'the giant laser-breathing dinosaur' that had appeared and destroyed the Angel, describing it with a childish glee. Toji was rather red in the face when Kensuke spoke of how the boy had fainted when it had appeared, but otherwise stayed quiet. Shinji found Kensuke's description rather comical, and Zone Fighter was still laughing.

"You should have seen it, Shinji," Kensuke said. "I never thought I'd witness something as awesome as last night."

"Something tells me that the Red Devil wasn't too happy about some lizard stealing her thunder," Toji noted with a chuckle. "Serves her right, considering how bitchy she is."

Kensuke laughed as well, but Shinji stayed quiet. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, enjoying his peace and quiet.

That was when a TV in the corner, which had been playing the news, suddenly showed a rather large machine moving through the ruins of some city. The description at the bottom of the screen read "Giant Robot Runs Rampant in Old Tokyo." Shinji sighed, figuring that all good things had to come to an end.

When Toji jumped off the game and turned to tell Shinji that it was his turn, he found, to his surprise, that the boy was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ, Commander Ikari's office<em>

Gendo watched the UN video feeds of the massive machine moving through the ruins of Old Tokyo. So far, everything had been going to plan. It had "malfunctioned" at the proper moment, and was now making a beeline for Tokyo-2 with its reactor on the verge of meltdown.

"Do you think he will arrive?" Fuyutsuki asked behind him.

"I'm sure of it," Gendo replied, adjusting his glasses. "This machine will prove to be full of surprises for our silver friend."

Fuyutsuki remained quiet, a slight frown on his face. He wondered if what was to come was really necessary to forward the Scenario. Countless lives were at risk with this plan, and although he knew that the Commander had little care for such things, he felt heavy in his heart.

Something on the screen caught his attention once more. Just as they had anticipated, the silver giant had returned, standing in the way of the rampaging war machine.

Had Fuyutsuki been looking at Gendo's face, he would have noticed a slight grin underneath his tented hands.

* * *

><p><em>Old Tokyo<em>

Shinji braced himself, preparing to struggle against the machine that was quickly approaching. He had considered using a Meteor Proton Beam, but Zone Fighter had decided against it, pointing out that the machine had a massive nuclear reactor in its back. The idea of accidentally spreading radioactive material over a large portion of the country was not an appealing one.

The robot was close now. Shinji rushed forward, ready to tackle the robot and halt its advance. He didn't see the fist heading for his face until it was too late.

* * *

><p>"I must say, whoever reprogrammed the Jet Alone's friend or foe software did a marvelous job," Fuyutsuki commented.<p>

* * *

><p>Shinji reeled from the blow. Before he could recover, the robot hit him again, followed by a head butt. Shinji fell to the ground, dazed. The robot advanced, its windows smashed and cracked from the head butt. Before it could strike again, Shinji countered with a clumsy punch to torso, denting the armor considerably.<p>

Unfortunately for Shinji, the machine made no notice to the damage and began to pummel him again. After a couple of punches and kicks, it lifted him over its head and slammed him back down. Shinji rose, unsteady. His face was bruised under the helmet, and his ribs were groaning in pain.

_Shinji, we need to get to its back. If we can push back in the control rods, the machine will shut down, _Zone Fighter said.

Heeding the alien's advice, Shinji flew upwards and landed behind the robot. Grabbing one of the control rods, he began to push it back in. It quickly slid into its slot. However, before he could move onto the next one, the machine twirled around and struck him again. Shinji fired a Meteor Missile from one of his bracelets, blasting off one of the robot's arms. The war machine responded with another head butt.

Shinji groaned. The machine showed no sign of slowing down, and he was already low on energy. There was little chance of him winning this fight. Nonetheless, he rose once more, ready to fight.

_I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, _he told himself.

As the robot advanced, it failed to notice the small shape flying into its control center via a broken window.

* * *

><p>Jet Jaguar was in a hurry. Zone Fighter was in enough trouble as it was, and the machine could have a meltdown at any moment. He ran to the control console and hooked himself into the computer. The A.I was incredibly crude, it was a simple matter to override it and take direct control of the machine. Flexing his mental muscles, he prepared to move the massive machine he found himself in.<p>

* * *

><p>Shinji braced himself once more. The robot raised its remaining fist, ready to smash him into the ground. The blow never came, however. The war machine froze, then set down its hand. Then it did something that surprised Shinji. It gave him a thumbs up, then began to walk away before it finally powered down.<p>

_I'll be damned, _Zone Fighter said. _Shinji, shrink back to human size and try to get a look inside the machine, I have a suspicion as to who's behind our opponent's sudden deactivation._

_Why didn't we try that earlier? _Shinji asked in exasperation.

_In all due honesty, I just didn't think of it,_ Zone Fighter replied sheepishly.

Shinji did as told. Hovering near the window, he found himself looking at a smaller robot, this one with garish colors. Its head was connected to the computer controls via a plug, and it looked at Shinji with a permanent grin etched into its metal face. Disconnecting from the computer, it promptly jumped out of another window and flew away.

_What was that? _Shinji asked.

_A good friend of mine. He's an android from my home universe called Jet Jaguar, _Zone Fighter replied. _I'll explain more when we get home. We must hurry, however, your energy is far too low._

Shinji nodded and began to speed away from the now-inactive war machine, unaware of the cameras following his movement.

* * *

><p>Gendo suppressed the urge to grind his teeth. How could've some robot come out of nowhere and foil his plan? Now the silver giant was escaping what was supposed to have been its demise, and there was yet another unknown variable in his Scenario.<p>

His angry musings were interrupted when Ritsuko entered his office, a stack of papers in her hand. She laid it in front of him, a nervous look on his face. Peering down, he saw Shinji's name on it.

"What is this, Dr. Akagi?" he asked cooly, not allowing his anger to spill out from under his facade.

"It's the Third Child's blood-work, Commander. I've found something very unsettling," replied Ritsuko. "It appears that his DNA's been altered considerably by something. From a biological standpoint, he's no longer completely human."

"What kind of changes to his physiology are we talking about, doctor?" Gendo inquired, intrigued.

"It's impossible to exactly determine without observation and experimentation, but I would say he now has advanced regenerative abilities and some enhanced abilities," Ritsuko replied, itching for a cigarette.

"Have the Third Child brought in for more testing, Dr. Akagi. Use the pretense of another attempt to have him synch with Unit-01," Gendo commanded. "In the meantime, continue looking for another possible pilot. Unit-01 is essential."

Ritsuko nodded and left the room. Gendo leaned back in his chair, thinking. "Shinji, what are you hiding?" he murmured.

* * *

><p><em>Misato's Apartment<em>

Shinji collapsed on the couch, exhausted and battered. According to Zone Fighter, the bruises would clear up within the hour, enough time for Misato not to be suspicious. It wasn't much consolation, considering how much pain he was in at the moment. _Why am I doing this? _he asked himself.

_Because it is the right thing to do, Shinji, _Zone Fighter interjected. _Would you really have just let the robot have a meltdown and endanger millions?_

_I'm sick of doing "the right thing". I'm no good at it, I've almost died three times and gotten the crap kicked out of me, _Shinji retorted. _It's easy for you to say, you don't have to actually do the fighting, you just lend some energy. _He felt himself getting angrier, weeks of pent-up feelings pouring out. _I didn't want any of this! I didn't want to come to this city and deal with two women that barely tolerate me, I didn't want to fight monsters, and I didn't want to bond with you!_

There was a long silence that hung in the air after that statement. Finally, Zone Fighter spoke. _Shinji, _he said softly, _did I ever tell you about my home?_

Shinji's anger began to boil away. _No,_ he replied.

_It was a beautiful place, Shinji. My people were nothing but thoughts drifting through space, living in the vast spaces between the stars. We could swim through nebulae, or watch worlds be born and civilizations flourish. I was nothing more than a scientist's assistant, helping him develop a pocket dimension that could store vast amounts of energy and matter._

Zone Fighter's voice became sorrowful as he continued. _That was when the Garoga came. There were a species bridging the gap between physical and energy beings. They hated both kinds of life, and began to sweep across space like a plague, bringing death wherever they went. My people was one of the many lost. My friends and family were slaughtered, Shinji. I am the last of my people._

_What did you do? _Shinji asked.

_I took the device and went to the next planet in the Garoga's sights, a small green and blue world with a nascent intelligent species and mighty guardians. Bonding with one of its inhabitants, I fought the Garoga alongside the guardians. Eventually, we defeated them. _He paused briefly before continuing. _Shinji, believe me when I say that heros can come from the most unexpected places. If a scientist's assistant can defeat a mighty alien empire and avenge his people, what's preventing a 14 year old boy from saving the world?_

Zone Fighter fell silent after that. Shinji laid on the couch for a long time, pondering what the alien had said. Finally, Misato came home, followed shortly thereafter by Asuka. He ate in silence, only talking when answering one of Misato's questions about his day. After the meal, he went straight to bed and simply laid on the sleeping mat, listening to his SDAT player.

He was sound asleep when Asuka opened the door, standing in the doorway with a look of suspicion on her face. Scowling, the redhead shut the door and made her way to her own room.

* * *

><p><em>Kaji's Apartment<em>

"So, you stopped the robot?" Kaji asked, pouring himself another drink.

Jet Jaguar nodded, not looking away from whatever it was disassembling. "It was a simple matter to override the machine's A.I. I've also narrowed down my options as to who Zone Fighter might be."

"Why would that matter?" asked Kaji. "He's obviously doing good, there's no need to go looking for him."

"We need to alert him of SEELE's plans, Mr. Kaji," the android replied. "Preventing Third Impact will be much easier with him on our side."

"You could endanger whoever Zone Fighter bonded with," Kaji retorted. "What's preventing SEELE from putting a bullet in his brain when he's sleeping?"

The android looked at Kaji with its emotionless eyes. "Once I manage to open a stable singularity to my home universe, we can keep him under EDF protection. I highly doubt they have anything that can deal with those particular forces, Mr. Kaji."

Kaji sighed and downed his drink. "What do you need for that to happen, anyway?"

"I have compiled a list," Jet Jaguar replied, producing a sheet of paper from seemingly nowhere. "Obviously I cannot go outside to get them myself, you can use your contacts to retrieve them. Many of them should be easy to get. Others might pose a difficulty. Once everything is retrieved, I'll need to go to a remote area and construct the device.

"How long do you think that will take?" Kaji asked.

"Approximately 2 weeks," the android replied.

Kaji chuckled. "Then it gets really interesting."

A/N: The plot thickens!

I apologize to anyone who is disappointed in the lack of Godzilla in this chapter. Don't worry, he'll show up in the next one. I needed to show more of the Eva-side of things, like Shinji's experiences as Zone Fighter.

Something tells me I'll be editing the earlier chapters rather extensively as my writing gets better.

Next up: More angels appear, and more factions enter the mix. And of course, more fanservice!


	7. Titanic Tussle in Tokyo Harbor!

Commander Ikari's Office, NERV HQ

To say that Gendo was in a foul mood would be a understatement. Not only had he failed to get rid of the silver giant, which some people in the base had started to call "Ultraman" after some TV show, but this "LSO-01" was still interfering in his plans. It had shown itself to be a formidable combatant, destroying two Angels was an impressive feat, even for Evangelions. With barely contained fury he re-watched the video feed as the titanic creature made its way back to sea, unscathed by its battle with the Angel. Shutting off the feed, he decided to check on the status of Dr. Akagi's tests.

"Dr. Akagi, have you begun testing on the Third Child?" he asked.

"Not yet, Commander. We have more pressing matters at the moment," Ritsuko replied.

"Another Angel," he stated.

"Yes, sir. It appears that the Angel is making its way to Tokyo-3 by sea. It'll intersect with the UN fleet that was supposed to have brought Unit-02 to HQ on the way," replied Ritsuko.

"Aren't the Evas training for underwater combat at the fleet right now?" he asked. "Have them prepare for combat. We'll intercept the Angel when it reaches the fleet." _And lure LSO-01 into our hands, _he thought.

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko replied.

Gendo shut down the intercom. _Once LSO-01 arrives to combat the Angel, it'll find that it is already dead,_ he thought to himself._ Then we will attack it with the combined might of the Pacific Fleet and the Evangelions. Without an AT-field, sufficient amounts of firepower ought to harm it. Once that overgrown lizard is dead, the Scenario can proceed as planned, more or less._

He was unaware of the fact that somewhere, in some other universe he knew nothing about, others were also making plots.

_Planet X, (G)Earth Universe_

Rogar paced back and forth across the room where other alien leaders were gathered. The Simeon leader had called this particular meeting, and the others had agreed. It wasn't everyday that the hairy alien was concerned about something, and so the others were listening with rapt attention as he spoke.

"I have been intensively reading the specifications we managed to liberate from the target Earth, the ones regarding these 'Evangelions'," he said, gesturing to a holographic blueprint. "It appears that they are far more dangerous than anticipated. Apparently, they can produce an energy barrier called an 'AT-field'. There's nothing else about the fields in the blueprints, the exact nature is very secretive. We have to find out how strong they are before we can proceed with the invasion."

X snorted. "The Evangelions appear to be very unimpressive, especially compared to some of your own creations. Why are you so concerned? The AT-fields are likely as weak as the machines that wield them."

Rogar shook his head. "I remember last time we all underestimated our enemy. A certain radioactive monster made sure to disillusion us of our superiority. We musn't make the same mistake with this world. I propose we send a monster to scout out their defenses."

"Which one do you propose?" chittered a Nebulan. "It would be unwise to waste one of our more powerful monsters on what might be a suicide mission."

Rogar nodded. "I already have a monster in mind."

* * *

><p><em>Over the Rainbow, Tokyo Harbor<em>

Helicopter flights, Shinji decided, were designed to be as uncomfortable as possible. He was glad to be free of the vehicle now, and stretched the stiffness out of his joints. Misato had decided to have him accompany her and the pilots to the aircraft carrier, even offering to have Toji and Kensuke come along with him. He accepted, due in part to Zone Fighter suspecting trouble to be afoot.

He watched in the distance as Asuka and Rei's plugs were inserted into their Evas, which were sitting on the edge of the flight deck. Apparently, they were using some equipment brought by the fleet to have training exercises underwater. He suspected that they weren't just meant to prepare for Angel attacks, NERV must have been very nervous regarding the existence of Godzilla.

Asuka had been particularly hateful towards the ancient creature, constantly referring to it as an "overgrown iguana" when the topic came up. Overall, she was a frustrating person to deal with, constantly belittling him and finding reasons to be angry with him. Nonetheless, he found himself growing attracted to the fiery pilot, despite all reason going against it. Perhaps it had to do with the occasional concern she showed for him when his wounds had yet to heal after the Angel battles. He wondered if she suspected him of his real identity. He was surprised no one had mentioned anything about him disappearing during battles and coming back with strange injuries.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of an alarm blaring. Crewmen on the flight deck began running to lower levels, leaving Misato and the others behind. Entering a light jog, he caught up with Kensuke and Toji as they followed Misato up to the command center.

"What's going on?" he asked, bewildered.

"Angel attack," Kensuke panted. "It's coming this way really quickly. The Evas are going to fight it." He raised his camera for Shinji to see. "I can't wait to record it!"

"Shinji, remind me to decline the next time you offer to take me anywhere," Toji grumbled.

They reached the command center of the carrier. Through the windows they could see a humongous swell in the ocean heading their way. Unit-00 and Unit-02 were standing on the flight deck, rifles at the ready. Clad in their underwater equipment, they were much bulkier than usual. Together they opened fire, explosions rocking the swell and spraying seawater everywhere. The nearby naval vessels joined in as well, firing dozens of missiles and artillery shells. During all of the chaos, no one had noticed the second swell moving towards the carrier as well.

The large swell disappeared, and Shinji wondered if that was enough to kill the Angel. Giving it thought, he realized that they never actually ever managed to shoot one before. Then the ocean blasted upwards, capsizing a nearby frigate and revealing the 6th Angel for everyone to see. Gasps erupted across the command center, Toji fainted yet again, and Shinji had to repress a squeak of shock at the sight of the abomination before him.

Before certain individuals crossed the barrier between universes and upset the destiny of the world, the 6th Angel was described in the Dead Sea Scrolls to be around a good thousand feet in length, and rather fish-like in appearance. The thing that now rose from Tokyo Harbor, however, was easily more than a kilometer in length. It consisted of jaws the size of a destroyer attached to a writhing mass of tentacles that numbered in the dozens. It was a sickly white in color, with flesh the texture of Earth's mollusks. Shinji remembered a horror novel he once read in school, describing horrifying creatures from other dimensions that induced madness just by looking at them. The description seemed rather apt for the mountain of flesh in the harbor.

With a sickly cry that sent shivers up everyone's spines, the Angel swatted its tentacles, smashing another frigate to shreds. It then began to advance towards the carrier, baring teeth the size of buses. The naval vessels opened fire once more, but every last munition simply bounced off of its AT-field. The Evas opened fire with their rifles again, the empty casings falling and crushing jets in the process. The hypersonic bullets shredded large holes in the flesh of the advancing monster, but compared to its vast bulk they were superficial. With a great heave it leapt into the air, ready to smash into the carrier and tear the Evas to bits.

That was when Godzilla leapt out of the ocean and slammed his body into its jaw, knocking out several teeth in the process. With a great splash the two titans fell back into the tainted waters, tremendous waves following in their wake. Despite the size discrepancy between the two combatants, Godzilla showed himself to be capable of matching the Angel in strength. Grabbing it by its massive head, he flipped it over his shoulder in a herculean show of effort. The Angel's impact with the ocean nearly capsized the carrier.

"Did-did that thing just judo flip the Angel?" Toji asked in astonishment. The gasps on the bridge seemed to express the same sentiment.

After the initial shock passed, Misato was quick into action. "Asuka, engage the Angel while its distracted! Rei, keep shooting at it from the deck!"

The pilots complied. Unit-02 jumped into the ocean, submerging itself completely. In the meantime, Rei reloaded her rifle and continued to fire upon the Angel. During all of the excitement, no one noticed that Shinji was no longer on in the room.

* * *

><p><em>Commander Ikari's Office, NERV HQ<em>

"This was not how the Angel was described in the Scrolls," Fuyutsuki commented dryly.

Gendo was too angry to reply. Fuming, he watched the video feed as LSO-01 continued to grapple with the Angel. Unit-02 had disappeared beneath the sea and was approaching the Angel as well, while Unit-00 continued to unload a considerable arsenal into it. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. The Angel shouldn't be like that, and LSO-01 shouldn't have arrived yet. His plan, just like the others before it, was crashing down.

He was too focused on the battle to see the other swell in the water heading towards the carrier.

* * *

><p><em>Tokyo Harbor<em>

Another monster had come. Like Godzilla, it was not native to this universe, but unlike the nuclear leviathan it was not here to help. Many years ago, on a different Earth, it was used in an attempt to defeat humanity alongside a mighty war machine. It lost its arm and a good deal of its flesh to the battle, and had fallen into the ocean, dormant. Those who had controlled it, however, found it once again and replaced what it lost with machines, armed with missiles and advanced particle weapons. Now it was sent to this universe, with one command in its brain: KILL.

Rising from the ocean, Titanosaurus bellowed a deafening cackle and began to rush towards its old enemy, ready to avenge its humiliating defeat 40 years ago. It failed to acknowledge the gunfire from nearby warships, even as a swarm of missiles obscured its form in explosions. There would plenty of time to play with the humans, but for now it needed to pay back a certain radioactive saurian.

* * *

><p>Godzilla roared as he grappled with the monster before him. Tentacles were rising out of the water, trying to subdue him and crush his body. It brought back memories of when he had battled with Biollante in 1989, although this beast was a far cry from his plant-based clone. He responded to the Angel's attempts to squeeze the life out of him with a short burst of his atomic ray, burning off several of them. With a great shove he flung the abomination off of him and prepared once more to attack. Before he could, however, a particle beam hit him in the head, obscuring his face in a cloud of smoke. Growling, he turned to whatever was stupid enough to try to pick a fight with him.<p>

He was, admittedly, surprised when he found himself looking at Titanosaurus. He had thought the aquatic dinosaur dead, losing an arm often did that to his enemies. The monster before him had a new arm now, clearly mechanical in nature, as well as a chest plate and an artificial eye. It appeared that someone had decided to upgrade the aquatic beast. Cackling, it lunged at him, ready to pound him into a bloody pulp.

Godzilla dodged the attack and swung a clawed fist. It caught the aquatic dinosaur in the face, but failed to stun it. Cackling once more, Titanosaurus responded by swiping him across the chest, scraping off some skin with its sharp claws. Godzilla roared angrily and tackled the cybernetic monster, slamming a fist into its chest and denting its armored plate. The aquatic dinosaur backed away and opened fire with its beams and missiles. As it cackled with glee, it failed to notice the build-up of Godzilla's atomic ray until it was too late. The azure beam grazed its shoulder, burning the aquatic dinosaur's skin severely.

As Godzilla continued to battle with Titanosaurus, another fight was going on a mere 200 meters away.

* * *

><p>As Asuka made her way underwater to the writhing mass of tentacles known as the 6th Angel, she wondered just how on Earth was she going to hurt it. Her progressive spear felt very pitiful in her hands as she took in just how titanic the Angel was. A pang of fear ran through her before she quelled it. She steeled her heart and rushed forward, ready to fight.<p>

The Angel finally took notice of the red Eva and dove towards her, jaws open. Asuka quickly ducked and raised her spear, turning up the spear's power to maximum. The blade cut a large gash in the Angel's belly and severed some tentacles as it rushed overhead, spilling thousands of gallons of LCL into the clear waters. She could feel the screech that escaped its maw right down to her teeth. Suddenly, she felt herself being tugged behind, her heels digging grooves in the ground and kicking up clouds of silt. She realized, much to her chagrin, that the Angel had gotten a hold on her power cord. The 5 minute power warning confirmed her suspicion.

The Angel swam forwards, swinging Asuka through the ruins of an old building in the process. It then swam upwards, pulling her upwards with tremendous force. Asuka broke the surface, dazed, and was immediately seized in the Angel's jaws. Before it could properly clamp down and impale her on its large teeth, however, strong hands took hold of her shoulders and yanked her out.

It was the silver giant again. Asuka gritted her teeth. Why was he here, trying to steal her kill? He set back her gently into the water, then fired a sapphire beam from his antennae, hitting the Angel in the face, or at least where its face should be. A good chunk of flesh was blown off, furthering enraging the beast. It swatted at him with its tentacles, knocking him into the ocean with a thundering crash. Before it could advance upon them, however, a massive azure beam hit it, blasting it full on the side and nearly blinding Asuka with its intensity. The ocean around it boiled and turned to steam, and the Angel screeched, falling back into the tainted water. Its flesh was severely burnt and torn in places, and over a third of its tentacles were lost. Asuka was glad that she couldn't smell through the Eva, she would have likely retched at the stench of burnt Angel flesh.

Turning, Asuka saw what Shinji had called Godzilla in the flesh for the first time. The beast roared, and began to charge up another beam, wisps of blue vapor escaping its fearsome maw. Before it could fire, however, a red creature tackled it into the ocean, the beam firing uselessly into the sky. Asuka could've sworn that she saw a metal arm on the red monster. As they struggled, she decided to focus once again on the Angel, only to find that it was swimming towards the carrier. Rei continued to fire on it, furthering its grievous wounds. It only seemed to piss it off even more, however.

Rising from the ocean, the silver giant began to fly after it, and Asuka followed, not wanting to let the giant take her kill. She would soon show who did the Angel killing around here.

* * *

><p>As the Angel rushed towards the carrier, Kensuke realized that heading to the flight deck so he could videotape the fight was an idiotic idea.<p>

For once, he realized just how _loud_ these fights were. The sound of Unit-00's rifle firing, the roar of LSO-01 as it grappled with the red aquatic monster, the screeching of the Angel, everything threatened to burst his eardrums. Sure, he had read about how important earplugs were in the military, but he had never truly understood until now, when he could feel the sounds of the battle down to his very core.

The Angel screeched and swiped some of its tentacles, knocking Unit-00 down and severing its power cable. 250 tons of flesh and advanced armor smashed into the flight deck, nearly crushing Kensuke. The silver giant tackled the Angel with a loud booming noise as his body connected with its back, distracting it from furthering its assault on the carrier. Kensuke crouched down, trying to drown out the noise of the battle with his hands. He didn't notice that Unit-00 had turned its head to him, staring with its sole red eye.

"Classmate Aida, why are you on the flight deck?" Rei asked in her typical monotone, using the Eva's external speakers. Kensuke rose, startled.

"Uh, I was just trying to, um, videotape the battle," Kensuke murmured, looking at his feet.

The 80-meter tall biotechnological weapon sighed softly, something that Kensuke found to be inherently comical. He was in no mood to laugh, however. The entry plug exited the the Eva slightly, spilling some LCL onto the deck as it opened. "Climb in, Classmate Aida. I do not wish to see you crushed."

Kensuke did as told, and found himself submerged in LCL. Rei didn't even bother to face him as the Eva rose, brandishing its rifle again. He watched through the video display as the silver giant tried to wrestle with the Angel, before being tossed back into the ocean. As the titanic monster screeched, Kensuke noticed the red glint of the core. Rei must have noticed it as well, as the blue-haired pilot activated her communications, contacting Unit-02. "Pilot Soryhu, I have an idea," she said.

"I'm all ears," Asuka replied. "What do you have in mind, Wonder Girl?"

"It's simple, Pilot Soryhu," Rei replied. "We hold its mouth open."

* * *

><p>Shinji rose from the ocean, groaning. At his size, water didn't really make for a soft landing. He watched as the Angel screeched and prepared once more to smash the carrier into bits. Firing another Meteor Proton Beam, he managed to distract it for a little bit longer. The size of the abomination still staggered him, and it took every last ounce of his willpower not to fly away. He couldn't run away, not when everyone's lives depended on it.<p>

A cackle sounded to his side. The red aquatic dinosaur, which Zone Fighter told him was Titanosaurus, continued to wrestle with Godzilla. After a bit of grappling, the nuclear leviathan managed to grab it by the throat and struck it in the face three times in rapid succession, bloodying its face and stunning it. Its mechanical arm fired wildly, particle beams glancing off of the Angel's AT-field. Titanosaurus managed to recover and turned, unfolding its tail fan. Flapping it, Titanosaurus cackled as hurricane-force winds began to knock Godzilla back.

Shinji decided to help the titanic saurian, rushing forward and kicking Titanosaurus square in the chest. The monster fell back into the ocean, Godzilla following after it with a look of grim determination on his face. He could see their struggling silhouettes as they descended into the deep. Now that Godzilla had a handle on Titanosaurus, he turned back to the Angel. To his surprise, he found that the two Evas were wrestling with its jaws, forcing it open. Nestled in its throat was the core, a perfectly red sphere.

_Shinji, I think they're trying to help you. The core's all exposed. Hit it, _Zone Fighter said.

Shinji flew forwards and prepared his Meteor Missile Bracelets. Once he was in range, he fired. Ten red missiles rushed forwards from his wrists, all hitting the back of the Angel's throat. With a massive series of explosions, they detonated, taking the core with it. The Angel swelled, screeching weakly, then it exploded into LCL, drenching the surrounding area and staining the water red. The two Evas were knocked off and went flying, drained of power.

Shinji's heart sank into his stomach. "Asuka," he said softly. Rushing forward, he dove into the ocean, swimming. Thankfully, the helmet could filter light, allowing him to find the red Evangelion in the murky water. It was just in time, his belt was blinking rapidly now. Carrying it in a bridal carry, he rose from the ocean and gently set it down on the flight deck.

In a flash of light, he shrunk down to human size. The belt's blinking was much slower now, and it was yellow instead of red. According to Zone Fighter, he had about 2 minutes of power left. With that in mind he set about to opening the Entry Plug.

* * *

><p>Asuka clambered out of the plug, coughing out LCL. She was exhausted after the battle with the Angel, and failed to remember how slippery the Eva can be when exiting. She slipped on the LCL and fell, but strong hands caught her. To her surprise, she found that the silver giant was holding her in a bridal carry, human-sized now. He gently floated down to the flight deck and set her down.<p>

"Are you alright?" the silver man said in a deep voice. His face showed no sign of motion, and Asuka realized that he was actually wearing a helmet of sorts.

"I'm fine," she grumbled, jerking herself free of his grasp. She didn't want to mention it, but there was something... comforting about the way he carried her.

Misato and Toji were running up to them now, with some crewmen following shortly behind them. Much to Asuka's chagrin, they ran to him first.

"Thank you for helping us," Misato said once she arrived, panting. "I don't think we would have beaten it if you hadn't shown up."

"I could've done it," Asuka mumbled.

"It was nothing," the silver man said, ignoring the redhead's statement. "I was just trying to help."

"Just trying to help," Asuka mimicked sarcastically. "You butted into our business, and you took my kill!"

Before the silver man could respond, the ocean erupted behind them. The aquatic dinosaur was back. It was bloodied, bruised, and burnt, but very much alive. It cackled and swiped down at the group, intent on crushing them. The silver man sprang into action, tackling the three of them out of the way. The section of deck where they were standing a mere second ago crumpled like cardboard, sending debris flying everywhere. The monster cackled again and leaned forward to take them into its jaws and crush them between its teeth. Several crewmen unholstered their sidearms and began shooting at the monster, to no avail. The silver man rose and once more tried to get the others away, but it would be too late.

Suddenly, there was a crunching sound, and the monster cried out in pain. Godzilla had reappeared, and had sunken his jaws into its neck. The two titans began to grapple once more, but it was clear who was the stronger fighter. Godzilla quickly overpowered the red creature, and took its mouth into his clawed hands. With a meaty snap, the monster's jaws broke. It began to panic now, wildly firing a beam of some sort along with a variety of missiles. Godzilla ignored the blasts and viciously ripped the mechanical arm out of its socket, then shoved it down the aquatic dinosaur's throat. His spines flashed, and a brief blast of azure flame shot out of his maw. The heat of the beam cooked the munitions inside of the severed arm, which promptly exploded. Although the red monster's hide was strong enough not to yield from the pressure, its insides were utterly destroyed. With a weak gurgle it slid beneath the waves, dead.

Godzilla roared in victory, an animalistic howl that threatened to burst everyone's eardrums. He paused briefly, apparently lost in thought. The giant saurian suddenly dove beneath the waves, once again threatening to capsize the carrier. For a few seconds there was silence, and then he resurfaced, flinging Unit-00 onto the deck. The Eva was rather battered, and steam rose from some places on its armor.

"Rei's still in there," Misato exclaimed. "We need to get her out of the plug."

The silver man was already on it, straining to open the armor covering the plug. It was no use, the metal plate was melted shut. Help came when a scaly hand the size of a truck came down and pried the plate off, much to everyone's surprise. Asuka could've sworn that there was a look of concern on the giant reptile's face.

"It's helping us?" Misato asked, shocked. Asuka didn't answer, simply gaping as the nuclear dinosaur gently set down the plate and set about to retrieving the plug.

Godzilla gingerly removed the plug from the Eva and set it down on the deck with a sense of care that belied its vicious appearance. The door slid open, and out stumbled Rei, followed by Kensuke. The blue-haired girl tried her best not to show too much surprise at the sight of a concerned radioactive dinosaur the size of a skyscraper leaning over her, but her eyes widened noticeably. Asuka couldn't help but snicker. _Guess Wonder Girl isn't so stoic after all, _she thought to herself.

Kensuke doubled over, coughing out the LCL from his lungs. Rising, he placed his hand out on something to support himself. It felt warm and rough to the touch, like warm rock. Only when he put his glasses back on did he realize that he was leaning on Godzilla's hand. Slowly, his eyes trailed upwards until he found himself staring at the titanic saurian's face, only 20 feet away. Its fiery orange eyes appeared to have a look of bemusement to them at the moment.

"Holy shit," Kensuke muttered. "I've actually touched it!" He patted the hand, almost as if he was verifying that it was real and not some dream. "I'VE ACTUALLY TOUCHED IT!"

Godzilla seemed to sense that everything was okay and rose from the deck, casting a shadow over everyone. Turning away from the carrier, he began to swim, not bothering to dive this time. Throughout the fleet, people were gathering to watch the leviathan pass by. Soon they began cheering, celebrating the victory. A few of them even began to throw their hats at him, whooping and hollering. Misato joined in as well, along with the gathered crewmen on the flight deck. Eventually, the only ones not cheering were Asuka, Rei, and the silver man.

A clicking noise drew away Asuka's attention. Turning, she saw that the silver man's belt was blinking, just like when they fought the 5th Angel.

"I must go," the silver man said. He prepared to fly away, but stopped when Asuka grabbed his arm.

"Who are you?" Asuka asked.

The silver man paused briefly, considering the question. "Call me Zone Fighter," he said finally.

With that, he flew away.

It was also around that time when Toji asked, "Where the hell's Shinji?"

Asuka frowned. _Where is the washout? _she thought to herself.

She got her answer when the young teenager reappeared, sporting a bruise on his cheek. "Got separated when people started running and hit my face on the bulkhead," he said uneasily.

For some reason, the redhead didn't buy that excuse. _What are you really up to, Third Child? _she asked herself.

* * *

><p><em>Kaji's Apartment<em>

"So, how far along are you with the singularity machine?" Kaji asked, watching the news report that was on every channel. It showed a video, obviously taken from a handheld camera, of Godzilla defeating some red fish-dinosaur-thing. The line at the bottom read _KING OF THE MONSTERS: GIANT CREATURE SAVES PACIFIC FLEET._

"I am actually finished," Jet Jaguar replied. He gestured towards a complicated bundle of machinery the size of a small car that had been steadily growing in Kaji's living room over the past two weeks. "We simply need to find a remote location to activate it."

Kaji turned off of the TV. "I think I have just the place in mind," he said.

* * *

><p><em>Old Tokyo<em>

It had taken some time to get to the spot, considering how inaccessible it was, but Kaji wanted to err on the side of caution. He had used every trick in the book to avoid detection by any spies SEELE had sent to keep an eye on him. The fact that he was accompanied by a silver and red robot made it much harder to do.

Kaji exited the rental car, followed shortly by Jet Jaguar carrying the machine. It was astonishing how strong the android was, Kaji estimated that the thing it was carrying was at least 600 pounds.

Jet Jaguar set down the machine and began typing rapidly into a keyboard. "I must first send a message back to my home universe in order for the EDF to go to the proper coordinates," he said.

"Then what?" Kaji asked.

"We wait," the android replied.

There was an awkward pause that lasted for a few minutes as the two stood, watching the machine. Kaji decided to break the silence, the motionless android made him uneasy.

"So, who made you?" he asked casually.

"I was built by Dr. Goro Ibuki in 1973," Jet Jaguar replied. "I was an experiment in artificial intelligence."

Kaji whistled, impressed. "Back in my 1973, the best computers were dumber than lizards. Even now the MAGI are nowhere near your level."

"There are obviously some differences between your universe and mine," replied Jet Jaguar. "I highly doubt you've been invaded by aliens or fought off hundreds of monster attacks."

"You've actually been invaded by aliens?" Kaji asked, surprised.

"We have been invaded 7 times, actually," the android replied. "Once by the Mysterians in 1957, then the Xiliens in 1965. The Simeons attacked in 1974 and again in 1975. The Garoga conflict was a secretive conflict fought from 1971-1979, during which the Nebulans also attacked during 1972. Finally, the Kilaak invaded in 1999, and were the closest to defeating us."

"Seems like your Earth is a magnet for weirdness," Kaji commented. "What happened?"

"Each invasion was defeated by a combination of human forces and defending native kaiju," replied Jet Jaguar. "Do not judge them too harshly, Mr. Kaji. Each race was desperate and in danger of extinction, something that their more xenophobic and aggressive leaders took advantage of. After each conflict, we made peace with them and even let large numbers of them evacuate to Earth, although some remnants of their militaries are still lurking out there somewhere in deep space. Altogether, only 75% of Earth's sentient population is pure human."

A beeping noise prevented any further conversation on the matter. "They have arrived at the coordinates" Jet Jaguar said. "Opening singularity now."

There was a flash of light, and a perfectly smooth and reflective sphere appeared 10 feet away. Kaji could've sworn he saw a humongous eye looking at him through the wormhole. It soon disappeared, however, and something like a floating tank came out and landed. With another flash of light, the singularity disappeared behind them.

A hatch opened in the side of the floating tank, and four people climbed out. They were two men and two women, Kaji noted, and wearing different uniforms from each other.

"Mr. Kaji, may I introduce you to Captain Douglas Gordon of the EDF," Jet Jaguar said, pointing to the taller and burlier man, "Shinichi Ozaki," a slim man with spiky black hair, "Miyuki Ontonashi," a woman in a red lab coat, "and Miki Saegusa", a smaller woman in what almost looked like a zookeeper uniform.

"Pleased to meet you," Kaji said.

"Before we continue any introductions, however, I must tell you something very important regarding this world," Jet Jaguar told the four newcomers.

"Which is?" Gordon asked in a gravelly voice. Kaji noted that he was carrying a katana over his back. Something told him that wasn't standard for "EDF" officers.

"Second Impact," Jet Jaguar replied.

* * *

><p>AN: ATTENTION READERS- I WILL BE EXTENSIVELY EDITING CHAPTERS 1-6 OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEK. PLEASE RE-READ THEM, THERE WILL BE KEY CHANGES. I WILL ALSO BE TAKING MORE TIME TO WRITE OUT THE CHAPTERS, UPDATES WILL BE A FEW DAYS APART. NEVER MORE THAN A WEEK, HOWEVER.

Now that I got that out of the way, how did you like this chapter? I'm bringing in more Godzilla characters and villains, ought to make for interesting fights, now?

Next Chapter: The EDF tries to subvert SEELE's plans, the aliens discuss new complications, and Asuka grows more suspicious of her roomate. Is he more than he seems?


	8. Who is Zone Fighter?

_Misato's Apartment, a few days after Gaghiel's attack._

Asuka Langley Soryhu, the Second Child and pilot of Evangelion Unit-02, was perplexed.

For quite some time now, her roomate Shinji had been an enigma to her. At first glance, he wouldn't stand out, just another 14 year-old Japanese boy. He was timid, quiet, and preferred to avoid conflict whenever possible. He was almost her complete opposite, a stark contrast to the hot-blooded and brash pilot. Yet he often had bruises, burns, and cuts on him that indicated he was in a fight, and a particularly bad one at that. Misato had decided not to dwell on it, thinking that boys would be boys, but Asuka thought otherwise. There was something definitely off about Shinji's mysterious injuries.

For one thing, he seemed to get them whenever there was an Angel attacking, specifically when that Zone Fighter fellow appeared to help. His injuries even reflected those of the silver giant, although the latter's armor often obscured any wounds to the point where she occasionally doubted herself on that particular point.

The other thing was that the injuries would be gone by the next day. There weren't even scars to show for it.

Asuka had gotten hurt before, sometimes there would be a snafu with training in Unit-02 and she'd get a nasty bruise or some cuts, thankfully never anything permanent. She remembered how she'd look in the mirror and watch as the wounds got less noticeable day after day until they were gone. But that took days. There should be no way that idiot-Shinji could look as though he had a run-in with some thugs and wake up completely unscathed. She was surprised Misato hadn't made any more mention of it, especially if her story of the head injury was true.

There was something strange about Shinji Ikari, and Asuka was determined to find out.

She decided to strike when Misato was at work and the washout was away at the arcade with some friends. He always spent at least an hour away from home, plenty of time for her to snoop around and find out anything juicy. Once she was sure he was gone she slipped quietly into his room. It was still cluttered with some of her own boxes, but otherwise it was rather spartan in arrangement, just a sleeping mat, a small shelf with some books in it, and a lamp. Compared to her room it was absurd in how sparse it was. Asuka wondered why he didn't decorate some more, or at least replace the mat with a nice bed like hers.

She checked the shelf first, quickly removing the books in order so she could replace them without arousing suspicion. Asuka noted that they included titles like "Echolocation Amongst Marine Animals" and "Theoretical Physics and You". Apparently the washout was a bit more highbrow than she had initially assumed, her moniker for him seemed a bit misplaced now. She cursed silently when she realized that the shelf was utterly devoid of anything that might reveal the truth about him.

The next place she checked was under the sleeping mat, figuring that Shinji might have a secret diary or something stashed underneath. To her disappointment, there was nothing there, either. Asuka was beginning to wonder if there was anything to find in the room. She wondered where he might place anything he didn't want found, trying to step into his shoes. It proved to be a difficult task. Scowling in frustration, she sat down on the sleeping mat. As she did so, her vision fell upon one of her boxes still in his room. Her eyes widened. _Of course._

She grabbed the nearest box and began looking through it, searching for anything that didn't belong. Of course he would put something in her stuff, she would've never expect him to try something as audacious as that. It was an admittedly bold move on Shinji's part, most people didn't meddle with Asuka's stuff and lived to tell the tale.

Jackpot. A slim journal was inside, one that she had never seen before. Eagerly she opened it to the first page. It consisted solely of a drawing of something that reminded her of a ballpoint pen, except more futuristic in aesthetic and seemingly lacking any function. There was writing underneath it, and cursed angrily when she realized that she still couldn't read either Japanese script very well. All she could tell was something about "luck" and "dreams". She wondered what he meant about that.

Asuka flipped through the pages of the journals. There were some fascinating drawings of animals in it. Some of them were recognizable, like a striped spider and mantis, but some looked like something from prehistoric eras, and even more looked like something seen in some drug-addled nightmare. Each one had writing underneath, sometimes taking up an entire page. They all had strange names, like "Anguirus" or "Barakidon". One was even called "Hedorah", which she understood to essentially mean "crap" or "vomit". As to why something would be named that, she felt its appearance was justice enough.

There were also a recurring symbol, some elaborate cross design that she had never seen before. It was almost always associated with drawings of a beautiful moth-like creature and an apparent life-cycle. She wondered if it was something related to Japanese religion.

What drew her attention most was an elaborate ink drawing of what Shinji had called Godzilla. The attention to detail was stunning, she could almost feel the glare of the giant creature through the paper and ink of the journal. This one also had the most writing dedicated to it, occupying several pages, even including numerical measurements. Obviously Shinji knew more about the monster than he let on, but how? He was just a stupid washout, right?

She was so engrossed in the reading that she didn't hear Shinji come back home until she heard him turn on the water. Yelping silently when she realized her predicament, she hastily placed the journal back where she had put it. Rising from the ground, she began to tiptoe to the door and opened it-

-only to find Shinji standing in the hallway.

"A-Asuka, what were you doing in m-my room?" Shinji asked, his eyebrows raising in surprise.

Asuka tried her best not to acknowledge the fact that he was without a shirt. He was surprisingly muscular and well-toned, she noted, then quickly squashed such thoughts before they damaged her psyche too much. "Just making sure you aren't touching my stuff, pervert," she lied. She figured he wouldn't want to press the subject if she got angry.

She was right. Shinji just blushed and let her pass, even mumbling an apology as she hurried back to her room and shut the door behind her. Asuka plopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, her brow furrowed. Her attempt to get answers only provoked more questions. She still didn't know why he got hurt like he did, or how he recovered so quickly. And now she wondered why he seemed to know so much about Godzilla and why he had made such drawings in the journal.

One thing was for sure- she was going to have to learn Japanese script.

* * *

><p><em>Kaji's Apartment, around the same time<em>

The living room, Kaji decided, was far too crowded and for his liking. He had gotten the apartment expecting almost no visitors, and now four people and a robot were in it, discussing how to handle NERV and SEELE. Gordon was the most troublesome, the man was an absolute giant, at least compared to everyone else. Kaji hoped he would never have to get in a fight with him, he felt that he would get broken like a toothpick. If what he was told was true, however, Ozaki would be an even worse scrap. Kaji never expected to meet a mutant before, or a psychic. Or a robot. It was all very strange to him, and he felt as though he was in some dream-like daze.

"We need to have a more secure base of operations," Ozaki said.

Otonashi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"If what Kaji said is true, then this place is being bugged," the mutant replied.

"So? We have a suppression field on," Otonashi replied.

Kaji decided to join the discussion, having sat silently ever since he had told them about Second Impact and SEELE's plans. "They'll still get suspicious if they get _nothing_ from their bugs. We need a spot where no one can spy on us."

"How about the Super-X?" Gordon asked, sharpening his katana nonchalantly, an act that unsettled Kaji.

"It's too conspicuous, Captain," Ozaki replied. "We need something less... likely to stand out."

"There is something else we need to take into account," Jet Jaguar interjected. "I have been running some search algorithms for some time now, trying to deduce who Zone Fighter could be. It's quite interesting, I took into account arrival times and general build-"

"What is your point?" Kaji asked, interrupting.

"I have completed the searches," Jet Jaguar replied. "There is only one possible candidate for who Zone Fighter could be."

"So, who has our old friend decided to latch onto this time?" Ozaki asked, leaning back into his chair and putting his feet onto a battered coffee table.

"A 14 year-old male named Shinji Ikari," replied Jet Jaguar.

Kaji choked on the tea he had poured himself, nearly spraying it at the android. "What?!" Kaji exclaimed. "You mean, 'The Third Child'? That Shinji Ikari?"

"That is correct," Jet Jaguar replied. "It explains why he was unable to pilot the Evangelion."

"Because he bonded with an energy being that allows him to deck giant aliens in the face," Kaji said, still incredulous at the recent revelation. "I've read that kid's psyche file, I don't think it's a good idea for him to be in that situation."

"That's why we must keep an eye on him, Mr. Kaji. That is something we must take into account when setting up our base of operations," the android replied.

Gordon finished sharpening his katana and slid it back into its scabbard. "Mr. Kaji, are there any spaces for sale near this "Third Child's" home?

"The whole apartment complex is actually abandoned except for his," Kaji replied. "I take it you know where to go, then?"

Gordon nodded. "Jet, start working on forging any necessary documents and some currency," he commanded the android.

"I've activated my synthesizer," Jet Jaguar replied. "I'll be able to produce the necessary documents and currency in about 2 hours."

"Something tells me I already know what you're planning, and I don't like it," Kaji said wearily.

Gordon grinned. "We're going house hunting."

* * *

><p><em>Planet X, (G)Earth<em>

"That's it, that's it, we're doomed," the Nebulan leader wailed, burying its face in its claws. "_He's _there now! How can we hope to conquer the planet when he's around?!"

Rogar said nothing, simply re-watching the footage taken from Titanosaurus's mechanical eye during its final moments. The image was clear enough, the all-too-familar glare of Godzilla as he charged up his atomic breath. The feed was lost shortly afterwards, there was no doubt that Titanosuarus had been killed by the radioactive saurian. This, Rogar decided, was an unexpected hurdle in their plans. Unexpected, but not insurmountable.

Altogether, however, the mission was a success. They had been able to gauge the strengths of the "Evangelions" and "Angels" that resided in that world, as well as the firepower of the human military. Although it appeared that low-powered particle beams and the primitive weapons used by the humans could not breach AT-fields, Godzilla had shown himself more than capable of doing so. It wasn't a far stretch to imagine that their monsters could do the same.

He rose from his chair. "Do not fret, Kubota. These 'Evangelions' have proved themselves to not be as powerful as Godzilla, our monsters should be able to make short work of them. And as for Godzilla himself, he has none of his allies. Tell me, would he have won against any of our invasions if it weren't for them?"

His words managed to sooth the Nebulan somewhat. X also rose from his chair, grinning as always. "This is proof enough for me, Rogar. We need to unleash the King of Terror on this pitiful world. Sure, Godzilla might be enough for one or two of our monsters, but against an entire army he can do nothing."

"And Zone Fighter?" Kubota asked.

"To appropriate a human phrase, 'More wood to the fire'," X replied, clasping his hands together excitedly.

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere in the woods near Tokyo-3, Hakone region<em>

As it turns out, there is an interesting factor of wormhole travel between universes. You must enter the wormhole in the right way in order to actually appear close to the singularity. If its accurate enough, it appears as though you actually emerged from it instead of being drawn through universes by it. It was because of this factor that Godzilla fell into the ocean near Okinawa whilst the Zone Capsule fell into Tokyo-3.

It was also because of this factor that another cross-dimensional traveller, who had jumped in after the Super-X before the other monsters could catch him, found himself all alone in the woods at night. He was small fry when compared to the titans he lived with, but was still as big as an elephant.

Godzilla Junior sniffed the air, hoping to find his missing father. At his age, his senses weren't as well-developed as his father's, but he was still far better than any normal animal. There was no sign of his father, but he could smell something familiar- humans.

Unlike other kaiju, Junior had actually grown up in the presence of humans. They had observed and studied him with his father on the island, and he had grown quite familiar with many of them. Miki was his favorite human, with her kind words and her generous gifts of food, she was practically his nest-sibling. With a life as sheltered as his, he automatically associated humans with friends, having no reason to think otherwise.

With that in his mind he began weaving through the trees, getting closer to the scent. As he grew closer, he could see the lights of cities. Having never seen them before, he was entranced by their color and beauty, like a kid who peered through a kaleidoscope. He finally exited the woods and found himself in a very alien environment: a city street. The smell of humans was stronger than ever, and he made his way to the nearest building. His snout brushed on the door and he called softly, hoping to find someone.

* * *

><p>Rei Ayanami woke to the sound of something tapping against her apartment door, cooing like an overgrown infant. She did not know what could be causing that sound. Her first thought was an Angel, but quickly dismissed the silly idea of an alien monster knocking on her door. Rising from her bed, she carefully walked past the medical waste on the floor and made her way to the door.<p>

Swinging open the door, she found herself looking into the eyes of some large creature. At first glance, one might mistake it for a T-rex or an Allosaurus, but there were major and subtle differences. For one thing, the arms were too long, the build was rather different, and it had visible ears. Its face was also different, with very rounded features and large eyes. It was actually rather cute, in a strange sort of way. It cooed again, with a look of excitement on its face.

If the average person opened their door to find a dinosaur looking into their homes, they'd likely flee, scream, faint, or soil themselves. Perhaps all four. But Rei Ayanami was far from average, and particular individuals might even argue against her being a person. She simply observed the creature as it tried, and failed, to fit its head through the doorway. A multitude of thoughts and questions ran through her head. _What is this? It appears to be a reptile, but it defies classification. It does not appear to be aggressive, its behavior and appearance is almost infantile. If it is a child, what could the parent be?_

_What should I do?_

That last question rang the most in Rei's skull. This creature obviously needed to be handled, she couldn't let it just run free about the street. Even if it was harmless, which she still threw into doubt, its massive size could cause harm to others. The obvious course of action would be to call the Commander, he would handle the creature. She had brought her cellphone with her, she flipped it open and prepared to call him.

Before she could, the creature cooed again and nuzzled her, almost like an oversized cat. Another thought struck her. What would the Commander do to it? The Commander had little tolerance for anything that posed the slightest threat, he would likely kill the creature before her. If not that, then he would definitely capture it and study it. Looking at the creature's innocent eyes, she felt something rising up in her, a desire not to see it hurt.

Rei decided to call someone else, someone who might be able to handle the situation without drawing the Commander's attention. She had the number on her phone, having felt it important to know how to contact her fellow students. As the phone rang, she tentatively reached out and began to stroke the creature's head. It seemed to enjoy it, and purred contentedly.

_If you are an infant, who is your parent? _Rei asked herself.

* * *

><p><em>The Atlantic Ocean, thousands of miles away<em>

Godzilla finished draining another hotspot of radiation, having continued his mission to help clean the world after the battle in the harbor. This one was in the flooded ruins of some city, and although its name was forgotten to him he recognized some of the decaying structures. He began to swim away, willfully not paying attention to the naval vessels that trailed him. He had yet to earn these humans trust, it seemed.

Suddenly, he felt something. It was a little known fact to even the public of his world that Godzilla was actually a psychic creature. It was a very primitive form, but it allowed him to link with those who were his kin, no matter how far they were. So when he felt the presence of his son, something he thought he'd never feel again, his eyes widened and his atomic heart leapt.

_Son..._

_SON!_

He began to tear through the water now, a frantic scramble to find his thought-lost kin. Had anybody attempted to gauge his speed, they would have found him to be exceeding 100 knots, making him the fastest swimming animal ever. It certainly showed, the spray kicked up by his dorsal spines slicing through the water could be seen from miles away.

It was time for the King of the Monsters to find his Prince. Woe betide anyone idiotic enough to be in his way.

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere...<em>

One of the kaiju tissue samples that disappeared with Godzilla, a strange blue egg the size of a football, had wound up in the watery ruins of Old Tokyo, one of the worst places for it to find itself. For now it could draw in radiation and nutrients in order to properly gestate, and had been doing so for the past few weeks, swelling with considerable size. But gestation time was over. Now it was time to hatch.

These abominable spawn had appeared twice before in the past of its old universe. The first time was in 1956, when Rodan first appeared. The massive pterosaur had managed to quell their numbers very quickly, possessing a strong hatred for them. The second time had been in 2002, and they succeeded in awakening a queen. Only a battle in flooded Shibuya between the swarm and the duo of Godzilla and Rodan had prevented them from spreading across the world to wreak havoc.

With a rising buzz, the Meganulon spawn began to spread from the ruins of Old Tokyo, looking for only one thing.

Food.

A/N: It's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for the lack of monster bashing in this chapter, I wanted to focus a bit more on the human side of things. Don't worry, next few chapters will have an overabundance of that.

Next Chapter: Rei needs help with a certain baby, Shinji gets some new neighbors, and the Meganulon go on the hunt. And of course, more fanservice!


	9. Swarm Attack in Hakone! Save Them, Junio

_Misato's Apartment_

Shinji woke to the sound of his phone ringing. Rising groggily, he fumbled for the phone and answered it. "Ikari speaking," he said yawning.

"Shinji, it's Kensuke. Rei called me over to her apartment to help her with something, and I think you might need to come as well," Kensuke said nervously. The tone surprised Shinji, he never heard Kensuke speak like that before.

Shinji stretched and began to quickly throw on some clothes, the phone secured in the crook between his head and his shoulder. "I'll be over soon. What kind of problem is it?"

"Can't discuss it over the phone. See ya, Shinji," Kensuke replied hastily.

The phone went dead. Sighing, Shinji shoved the phone into his pocket and opened the door-

-only to find Asuka standing in the hall, fully dressed and glaring at him suspiciously. "Where are you going, baka?" she half-asked, half-accused.

"Kensuke called me. He needs my help with something," he replied, trying to walk past her. The redhead blocked his way, however.

"I'm coming with you, Third Child. There's no way I'm just letting you go out there all by yourself at this time of night. Misato would kill me," Asuka replied.

Shinji sighed. "All right, you can come with me."

As the two made their way out of the apartment, Shinji wondered what kind of thing would make Kensuke so anxious to get help.

* * *

><p><em>Outskirts of Tokyo-3<em>

The baby dinosaur licked Kensuke, drenching him in slobber. Once this day was over, Kensuke decided, he was going to have to burn these clothes.

Rei emerged from the apartment, carrying some food with her. "Juvenile creatures are in constant need of sustenance, Classmate Aida. Perhaps these will suffice?"

The baby dinosaur eyed the food cradled in Rei's arms. Then, with astonishing speed, it lunged forward and swallowed all of it in one gulp. It belched, hitting Kensuke with a glob of half-chewed ramen and purred contentedly.

Yep, Kensuke decided, he was going to burn his clothes before the day was out.

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

Gendo observed the video feed taken from security cameras around Rei's apartment. He had expected many worse case scenarios occurring there. SEELE agents rushing in and putting a bullet in her head. An Angel crushing the house underfoot as it progressed towards the Geofront. Door-to-door marketers finding it. He never expected, however, the possibility of Rei taking care of what appeared to be a baby dinosaur.

"It appears to bear a strong resemblance to LSO-01," Fuyutsuki commented. "Do you think there's a connection between this creature and LSO-01's frantic rush? It's already cleared the Florida Peninsula, even though it was in New York a short time before."

"I believe there is, Fuyutsuki," Gendo replied. "I would not be surprised if this creature is a kin of LSO-01. We need to apprehend it but not kill it, I see some use for it. Send some squads of Section 2 agents armed with tranquilizers and cattle-prods to capture the specimen."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Yes, sir."

_Outskirts of Tokyo-3_

The walk had been spent in silence. Shinji considered asking Asuka what was the real reason behind her coming along, but decided against it. _Zone Fighter, she is so confusing,_ he mentally told his alien guest.

_Have you considered the possibility that she's suspecting the truth about you? _Zone Fighter asked.

_That I'm actually a giant superhero? Get real, _Shinji retorted.

_I'm surprised we've been able to keep the secret for so long. You keep coming home looking like you've been in a fight, which only happens when an Angel attacks, and you're miraculously healed in the morning, _Zone Fighter replied.

Before Shinji could reply, he heard Asuka shriek to his side. "What is that?!" she screeched, pointing. Shinji followed her arm until she found what she was pointing act, and nearly yelped himself.

There was, for all intents and purposes, a baby dinosaur taking a nap right by Rei's apartment. Kensuke and Rei were there as well, resting against it. Even from far away Shinji could tell that they were exhausted and covered in what he assumed to be slobber.

_Zone Fighter, what is that?! _Shinji asked mentally.

_Well, I'll be damned. It's Junior! _Zone Fighter replied happily.

_Junior? As in..._

_Godzilla Junior, yes._

Shinji took a deep breath. "Kensuke?" he asked unsteadily.

The otaku finally took notice of the two of them and waved them over. "Glad you could make it, Shinji. Not so glad you brought the Red Devil with you."

Asuka only huffed angrily. "So, this is what Wondergirl was having trouble with?"

"That is correct, Pilot Soryhu," Rei replied. "It appears to be a juvenile creature of some unidentified species."

"It kind of looks like a baby Godzilla," Asuka said.

At the sound of his father's name being called, Junior woke and rose to his full height. He called happily, but when he realized his father wasn't here his face fell noticeably. It was amazing how expressive a reptile could be, Shinji thought to himself.

"I'm starting to think it actually is a baby Godzilla," Kensuke said.

Junior stepped carefully over Kensuke and Rei and made his way over to Shinji. Sniffing the boy, he then cooed again and licked him, drenching him in warm dinosaur saliva. When he went to do the same to Asuka, she backed away. Junior's expression turned sad, but only for a second as he turned back to Shinji and continued licking him.

_I think he likes you, _Zone Fighter commented.

Suddenly, there was the sound of something moving in the nearby bushes. Junior turned deathly quiet and turned to face the sound, whimpering. It was fearful, Shinji noticed. Should he be afraid as well? Kensuke and Rei weren't taking any chances, they moved behind Junior, noticeably spooked. Asuka didn't move back, but simply placed her hands on her hips angrily.

The bushes rustled, and a bunny came out, nibbling on the grass. Shinji breathed a sigh of relief, there was nothing to be worried about.

Then something came out of the bushes and ate the bunny.

There was a high-pitched scream, which he realized belonged to Kensuke.

Shinji yelped audibly this time. The thing that ate the bunny was easily as big as a man, and looked like some horrifying hybrid between an earwig and a praying mantis. It chittered, blood dripping from its mandibles. Compound eyes regarded the group hungrily, looking for which ones would be most suitable for consumption.

It made its choice. Chittering once more, it lunged at Junior. The baby Gojiran cried at as it swiped and clawed at him, even though it failed to even break the skin. Clumsily he flung it off of him, smashing it into the ground. It soon rose back up, cracks appearing in its exoskeleton. It was angry this time, and lunged once more, intent on feeding on Junior. It failed to see the large rock that hit it square in one of its compound eyes. The monster fell short, screeching in pain as greenish ichor leaked out of its ruined eyes. Before it could rise once more, a clawed foot the size of a car tire smashed its head into paste.

"Good aim, Wondergirl," Asuka commented.

"What the hell was that?!" Kensuke shrieked.

"It appears to have been an arthropod of sorts," Rei replied calmly. "There might be more. It would be wise to find safety."

A growing buzzing sound proved Rei's speculation to be correct. Several more Meganula, as Zone Fighter called them, crawled out of the bushes, clicking their mandibles together hungrily. They advanced as one, cautiously moving forward, looking for any sign of weakness. Junior placed himself between the spawn and the gathered teenagers, and tried his best to look threatening. It wasn't very convincing.

_Should I transform now? _Shinji asked mentally.

_You'll be seen,_ Zone Fighter replied.

As the spawn grew closer, Shinji wondered if that was such a bad thing after all.

That was when a colorful blur came down from above, smashing both feet into one of the Meganula spawn's head and killing the creature instantly. The other spawn jumped back, chittering in surprise. That was the last thing they ever did. Before they could react any further, the form sprang into action so quickly that Shinji couldn't even see it. It sprung from spawn to spawn, smashing their heads with well-aimed blows of impeccable technique. In four seconds, five spawn lay dead on the ground, their limbs twitching uselessly.

The shape turned, revealing none other than the robot Shinji had seen during the Jet Alone incident. Its expressionless eyes regarded Shinji and the others, then it spoke in a mechanical yet distinctly male voice.

"There are other spawn coming, you must find shelter. Come with me," it said, gesturing for them to follow. "We must hurry."

The robot set into a light jog, Shinji and company following after it. They were all too stunned at the sight of a brightly-colored robot swooping down and saving them from giant man-eating insects to speak. After a few minutes, they arrived at one of many small emergency shelters located throughout the city, designed for small groups of people that failed to reach the larger ones in time. This one appeared to be empty, and Jet Jaguar gestured for them to hurry inside. Kensuke went in first, pausing briefly to ogle the android, followed by Rei. Asuka seemed reluctant to follow instructions from such a garish robot, but relented and ducked inside the small shelter, grumbling.

It was just in time as well, they could hear the buzzing of more Meganula spawn right behind them. One of them came down upon them, only to be speedily dispatched by Jet Jaguar. Shinji realized that the door needed to be closed now, there was no time to take shelter as well. Quickly and without much thought, he grabbed the heavy metal door and began to slide it shut while the robot killed any Meganula that tried to attack.

"Wait! Shinji, why aren't you in here?" Asuka practically screamed.

Shinji knew the answer, but he couldn't tell Asuka the truth, not now. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, then the door slid shut and locked in Asuka and the others.

Taking a deep breath, Shinji turned to face the oncoming swarm of Meganula spawn. There were over two dozen now, quickly approaching their position. Jet Jaguar stood in some martial arts stance, ready to fight. Junior, despite some whimpering, also got into a fighting stance his father taught him, willing to protect his newfound friends.

"Are you ready, Zone Fighter?" Jet Jaguar asked

Shinji suppressed any surprise at the robot knowing his identity, there was no time for that now. He brought his hands together, feeling the vast energy waiting to be unleashed in battle.

"ZONE DOBURU FIGHTU!"

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

The feed coming in now was, to say at the very least, shocking. There were hundreds of massive invertebrates swarming the Hakone region, eating any animal in their path. Their menu did not exclude humans, Misato noted with disgust. Maya had to excuse herself to the bathroom in order to vomit at the sight of innocent civilians being torn apart and eaten by the horrifying creatures. Video feed was down in several areas already, and the pilots were nowhere to be found.

"Has the military been made aware of the situation?" Misato asked.

"The JSSDF is sending in infantry to handle the situation, ETA is 9 minutes," Aoba replied.

_How many people will die in that time? _Misato asked herself.

"Major, you might want to see this!" Hyuga exclaimed.

The feed switched, showing the general location around Rei's apartment. Three figures were engaging the giant arthropods, and the corpses littering the ground indicated that they were actually succeeding. One was clearly not human, and actually reminded Misato of a cute mini-Godzilla. The other appeared to be a robot of some sort, and the third was...

"Zone Fighter," Misato breathed.

* * *

><p><em>Hakone<em>

Another spawn fell, a good hunk of its upper body blown away by a Meteor Proton Beam. It was quickly replaced, however, and just as quickly smashed into paste by a punch. Shinji could count at least 30 of them in his line of sight alone, the buzzing of the swarm was deafening. Nonetheless, he felt he was making good progress, he still had plenty of energy left. He fired a flurry of Meteor Missiles from his bracelets, destroying a dozen spawn in a series of explosions.

Jet Jaguar was a blur on the battlefield, rapidly dispatching one spawn and then moving on to the next. His bright colors were hidden by a greenish brown ichor, the blood of the Meganula. Unlike Shinji, there was no worry of him running out of energy, the microfusion pack in his chest could last him years. However, he was the most fragile of them, and already he sported some scratches in his armor from the occasional lucky blow from a Meganula.

Junior was doing the worst out of all of them, at least in terms of bodycount. He was a timid creature at heart, and his attacks were lacking the aggression of his father. It didn't help that he couldn't yet fire an atomic beam. He bled from some places, although the wounds were quickly sealing up thanks to his inherited regenerative abilities. Unfortunately for him, the smell of blood was already attracting more spawn. Mustering up as much breath as possible, he fired a radioactive smoke ring at the nearest spawn. Although it failed to kill it, it still managed to blind the spawn, allowing Junior to rush forward and crush it under his foot.

More Meganula came, piling onto Junior. He could feel them trying to tear his skin, biting him all over. He cried weakly and tried to shake them off, to no avail. There were just too many of them, they were overwhelming. Zone Fighter and Jet Jaguar were too distracted with their own attackers to notice their plight, help seemed unlikely. It appeared that it was the end for the juvenile Gojiran.

And then he heard the distinct tapping sound of something trying to get into the shelter. A rare emotion flared in Junior's heart: fury. He saw what the creatures had done to that furry animal, they were going to do the same to his friends. They were going to eat them! He couldn't let them do that, he had to do something.

Junior roared, and flung all of the Meganula spawn off in an impressive show of strength. Before they could recover he was on them, viciously smashing them into chunks of exoskeleton and ichor with his thrashing limbs, tail, and jaws. It was like watching a rabid grizzly bear savage a box full of kittens, the Meganula stood no chance now.

Once the attackers were dealt with, Junior turned his fury to the spawn trying to get into the shelter.

* * *

><p>The door was slowly but surely being pried open by jointed and armored limbs. Rei and the others backed up against the wall, trying to put as much distance between them and the monsters. There was too little space, already they were cramped inside of the shelter. An appropriate phrase to describe their predicament would be "like monkeys in a barrel".<p>

A clawed arm slashed in, catching the edge of Rei's arm. She cried out in pain, blood trickling from the wound. The smell of blood frenzied the monsters even more, their horrific faces were visible now as they tried to squeeze into the gap in the door. Rei never imagined she would die this way, and she certainly never hoped it either. To her surprise, Kensuke actually attempted to protect her with his body, placing himself between her and the monster. It was a futile effort, but she found herself appreciating it.

Suddenly, there was a crunching sound, and the spawn fell slack. It was ripped away from the gap, giving the group a good look at their unexpected savior. It was Junior, clutching the spawn in his claws. His normally happy and placid face was contorted with fury, and Rei could've sworn that she saw his eyes glowing red. With an angry roar, he ripped the spawn in half, spraying goop everywhere. More spawn approached, idiotically trying to finish what their sibling had started. They died quickly.

Zone Fighter and the robot were there now, forming a defensive perimeter around the gap in the door. Together, the three proved to be an insurmountable barrier, utterly destroying anything that attempted to get at the defenseless teenagers inside. An apt analogy would be the three hundred Spartans at Thermopylae, except with 1% of the defenders and 0% of the shirtless Gerald Butler.

They were wearing down, however, and the swarm seemed limitless in number. The robot bore several gashes in its armor, and Zone Fighter's belt was blinking, indicating a lack of energy. How much longer until they were overwhelmed, Rei was uncertain. Thankfully, a solution was at hand, although she didn't know at the time.

* * *

><p><em>Shinji, do you see how Junior's trying to charge up a smoke ring? <em>Zone Fighter asked.

Shinji glanced to the side. Indeed, the baby Godzilla was puffing up his chest. _Yes, _he replied. _What do you want me to do?_

_Step on his tail! _Zone Fighter commanded.

_What?_

_Do it! Quickly! _Zone Fighter said urgently.

Shinji did as told, stomping down hard on Junior's tail. To his surprise, a tenuous atomic ray actually blasted forth from the juvenile Gojiran's maw, incinerating a hapless Meganula spawn. And the thankfully unoccupied car behind it. And a good chunk of the tarmac underneath the car.

Junior glanced at his tail and warbled softly, then his ears perked up. He began to charge again, and Shinji stomped on his tail once more. Another beam shot forth, but this time Junior used it to scythe across the oncoming horde of Meganula spawn, incinerating them. Shinji was thankful that his helmet filtered out the smell of burning insect, it looked bad enough.

The fight was finally over. Over a hundred and eighty spawn corpses littered the surrounding area, painting the streets in ichor and charred exoskeleton. There were no more living spawn in sight, they must have either retreated or completely died out in the area. Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Jet Jaguar. The robot gave a thumbs-up, then took off into the sky, soon disappearing into sight.

The others were emerging from the shelter. Rei was nursing a cut on her arm, but otherwise they seemed okay. They surveyed the carnage of the battlefield in silent awe, mouths agape.

Kensuke was the first to speak. "You're really are your father's son, aren't you?" he said, patting Junior on the haunch. The juvenile Gojiran cooed between pants, then licked Kensuke's face again. Instead of complaining, the otaku simply laughed and hugged Junior.

Asuka wrinkled her nose. "It really stinks of dead bugs out her," she said. She then looked around, eyes wide. "Is Shinji okay?!" she asked, uncharacteristically upset.

"I'm sure he's fine," Shinji-as-Zone Fighter replied weakly.

Asuka spun towards him, furious. "How can you say that?! Did you see how many giant bugs there were? He's probably dead!" Tears were actually welling up in her blue eyes, and Shinji felt a pang of sympathy.

"The last I saw of him, he was just fine. The bugs ignored him," Shinji replied. With that, he took off, planning on quickly reappearing to ease Asuka's worry. He missed what came next.

* * *

><p>Junior nuzzled Rei's wounded arm, warbling with concern. The cut, thankfully, was a minor one, it did not reach any arteries or veins. Already it had stopped bleeding, leaving only a dark red scab over it.<p>

"I am fine," Rei said. She patted Junior's head affectionately, thankful for the juvenile Gojiran. Without him, she would have been bug food, a thought that displeased her. She found herself growing more attached to him with every second.

That was when a tranquilizer dart suddenly struck him in the neck. Junior wailed, trying to claw at the titanium syringe pumping powerful sedatives into his bloodstream. Several more hit him, and the powerful chemicals were too much for his still-developing body. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Rei gasped and knelt down, trying to make sure that he was all right.

"Pilot Ayanami, step away from the animal," a voice commanded over a bullhorn. Rei did as told, then turned to the source of the voice.

There were over a dozen men garbed in black body-armor, each one brandishing tranq guns and cattle-prods. An armored vehicle was behind them, bearing the insignia of Section 2. They were on Junior quickly, binding his limbs and snout with plastic cords. With a heave they lifted him up and began to move him to the armored vehicle. Even with a dozen men he proved to be difficult to carry, the effort of each agent was visible.

"Where are you taking him?" Rei asked, following after them.

"That's classified," one of the agents replied, shutting the door of the armored vehicle. "Commander Ikari wants both you and Pilot Soryhu back at HQ ASAP."

Rei began to object, but fell quiet. Sullenly, she followed the agent, Asuka trailing not far behind. With the sound of screeching tires, the vehicle took off, leaving Kensuke all alone, surrounded by dead insect monsters.

Kensuke heard footfalls behind him, and turned to find Shinji running up to him, panting. "What did I miss?" he said, gasping for breath.

"Junior, Zone Fighter, and that robot managed to kill the bugs. Then Section 2 arrived. They, uh, just took the Baby Godzilla away. They tranquilized it and everything," he replied, scratching the back of his head.

Shinji's eyes widened. "Where are they taking him?" he asked, visibly frightened.

"I dunno, they said it was classified," the otaku replied. "Shinji, what's wrong?"

The boy didn't reply. Instead, he began to run in the general direction of NERV HQ, leaving Kensuke alone. Again. At that moment, a thought struck him.

"Where's Toji?"

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ, Commander Ikari's Office<em>

"The operation was a success?" Gendo asked.

Ritsuko nodded. "The juvenile has been captured by Section 2 and is en route to headquarters, with the pilots in tow. We are also making progress with the Fourth Child. He might be able to pilot for the operation, Commander."

"We'll need him," Gendo replied. "You are dismissed."

Ritsuko left the office. Gendo leaned back in his chair, intertwining his hands behind his head. _We have the bait now. The pilots are in tow, and soon we'll have another pilot ready for combat. Compared to other plans in the past, Operation: Kusanagi is running rather smoothly. Let's just hope our luck holds._

His eyes fell upon an image on the wall of LSO-01, its maw flaring as it prepared to defeat the 5th Angel. _Soon, you'll be dead. Then the Scenario can proceed just as planned without your meddling influence._

The thought of it made Gendo smile.

* * *

><p><em>Misato's Apartment<em>

Shinji didn't bother to use the elevator, simply running up the steps. Hopefully Misato would be back from work now, and he could try to get some information out of her regarding Junior's location. It was vital for the safety of everyone in Tokyo-3 and NERV. Especially the former, considering the situation they just placed themselves in.

_This is bad, this is very bad, _Zone Fighter said. _I remember the last time someone tried to hurt Junior. They still haven't found all of the pieces of him yet._

_I remember you telling me that, _Shinji replied. He was so distracted with the conversation that he didn't see the person until it was too late. He bounced off of the massive figure and fell flat on the floor, groaning.

"Are you okay?" the man said in a deep voice. He was white, perhaps an American with that accent. He had a thick bushy mustache and silver at the sideburns.

_Commander Gordon? _Zone Fighter asked.

_It's good to see you again, _a third voice suddenly said, a woman this time.

_Miki! The feeling is mutual._

Shinji rose from the ground, rubbing his head. "Commander Gordon, I presume?"

The man grinned. "In the flesh. It seems that your little guest has been yapping nonstop, huh?"

Shinji nodded. "What are you doing here?"

A woman appeared, even shorter than Shinji. She had a short haircut and a sundress on. Her face was youthful, but Shinji could see the years behind her eyes. "We are here to keep on eye on you, Shinji Ikari. We already know that you have become a protector of this world, and we want to make sure you're safe."

"It's rather inopportune," Shinji replied. "I need to get somewhere right now."

Before the woman could ask, she suddenly put a hand to her head, whimpering softly. The moment passed, and her eyes widened. "They've taken Junior?" she asked, surprised.

"How do you-" Shinji began.

"Psychic," Gordon replied.

"This is bad, this is very bad," the woman said. "We have to warn them!"

"And get locked up? We need to take a less official route on this one," Gordon replied. He ran a hand through his short hair. "Damn."

"How bad is it?" Shinji asked.

Another man appeared, shorter and younger than Gordon, his black hair spiked up. "How bad? NERV just signed their death certificate, kid."

Shinji gulped. They were right. Things _were_ very bad.

* * *

><p><em>200 miles from Tokyo-3<em>

Godzilla continued to tirelessly slice through the water, unrelenting in his quest to find his son. He watched through his son's eyes as he fought off the Meganula swarm that had threatened the strange looking human and her friends. His heart swelled with pride, especially when Junior managed to summon up an atomic ray. Then he felt his son's distress, and the pain of the dart as it hit his neck. After that, there was just unconsciousness, a inky black void to Godzilla's mind.

His pride was instantly replaced with rage. His son was in danger. Someone had taken Junior, and the unconscious void would make tracking difficult.

They hurt his son.

_The humans _hurt his son.

Godzilla was at the limits of rage, his higher brain functions being overwritten by base instincts. After helping them so many times, they turn their backs on him and take his child? He would make them _pay _for what they had done. Once he found Junior in whatever prison they were keeping him, they would **burn. Nothing would stand in his way. He would take back his son.**

**Even if he had to do so on the ruins of the world.**

**A/N: The plot thickens! I hope you liked how I put in some more Rei time in this chapter, I felt I didn't do enough for her in the earlier ones.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: Godzilla vs. NERV! Who will win?**


	10. Operation Kusanagi! Clash at Mount Fuji!

_Misato's Apartment_

"We can't just let him attack NERV!" Shinji exclaimed, pacing back and forth in a frenzied manner. "If what you say is true, then he'll kill them all. It'll be a slaughter!"

"We can't physically stop him, Shinji," Gordon replied, his voice more strained than usual. "Godzilla's been hit with just about everything under the sun, it never works. Hell, the US tried to nuke him back in the 50's. It just pissed him off even more."

Shinji straightened. "I'll stop him if I need to," he said.

"Shinji, that'd be a suicide mission. I've seen you fight. You lack any actual training, all of your fights have been won on raw power and tenacity alone. Believe me, Godzilla's got more of that than just about anything, don't think you can beat him with some Meteor Missiles or a good shot with that Proton Beam of yours," replied Gordon. He sighed before continuing. "The Super-X won't be of any help, either. It'd just be a flying target for him."

_Gordon's right, Shinji,_ Zone Fighter said. _I remember Hikaru's sparring matches with Godzilla. I could feel the raw power behind his blows, even when he held back for the sake of training._

Shinji slumped. "That's it, then? We're just going to stand by and let him shred everyone to pieces?"

Miki shook her head. "We didn't say that, Shinji. Though we cannot defeat Godzilla, we can halt the rampage. We just need to find Junior and bring him back to his father. Once Godzilla has Junior back, he'll simply return to the sea." She closed her eyes once more, pausing briefly for a moment. "I've been searching the minds of Junior and those around him, trying to find out exactly what's going on," she said, opening her eyes once more. "It appears that they are holding Junior in a facility at Mount Fuji. They're moving a great deal of equipment there- automated defense turrets, tanks, VTOLs, missile launchers... and the Evangelions." Miki's brow furrowed. "Why would NERV be moving their big guns to guard Junior? They think he's just a strange specimen."

"Sometime tells me that the top brass at NERV know more than they're letting on regarding their guest," Ozaki said. "I think they're trying to lure Godzilla into a trap, and Junior's the bait."

"I'm seriously calling into question the sanity of NERV," Gordon grumbled.

Shinji stopped his pacing. "We've got to get to Mount Fuji and rescue Junior."

"The Super-X is too conspicuous for this job," Ozaki said. "How long until you're fully charged?"

_About half an hour, give or take, _Zone Fighter replied in Shinji's head. _It actually functions on a exponential scale, when you exclude the energy required for transformation. I remember the equations quite clearly, you have to take into accou-_

Shinji relayed the answer, ignoring the physics lesson from his mental guest.

Gordon huffed. "Let's just hope there'll still be something left when you're ready."

* * *

><p><em>Mount Fuji<em>

Asuka watched the sea, which glittered at this time of day. She was standing by in Unit-02, a pallet rifle clutched in her hands. In her peripheral vision, she could see Unit-00 to her left, wielding a rather large sniper rifle. Although she couldn't see him, she knew that Toji was standing behind her in Unit-01. She still couldn't believe that the stooge of a jock was actually selected to pilot, which was compounded by the fact that he was already on a combat mission. Both her and Wondergirl had been training for years, and he was considered ready to go after a day? His synch rate was the lowest out of all of them, even taking into account their first scores! Overall, the entire situation seemed rather fishy to her. There had to be something that Misato and they others weren't telling them, something important.

She activated her communications link with Unit-00. "Hey Wondergirl, does anything about this mission seem a little... off?"

"How so?" Rei asked in her typical monotone.

"Well, they've been moving lots of tanks, missile launchers, VTOLs, and autoturrets here. I wouldn't be surprised if they've brought N2 mines. Hell, _we're_ here, and we've got an entire armory with us. They also hastily trained Toji and sent him here with us, which seems weird. Why does Misato want so much firepower here?"

"Perhaps there is an Angel coming," Rei replied.

Asuka shook her head. "Every time an Angel's attacked, they made a beeline to the Geofront. Why would they suddenly try to attack a small facility at Mount Fuji?"

Rei paused for some time before speaking. "I... I do not know, Pilot Soryhu. The circumstances of the mission are, admittedly, strange. I am also concerned for the well-being of the juvenile creature that saved us from the large arthropods."

"You're still thinking about that thing?" Asuka asked.

"Yes. He saved our lives, Pilot Soryhu. He went out of his way to ensure our safety, even when he could have simply left us and save himself. I owe him my life, Pilot Soryhu," Rei replied.

Before Asuka could press the matter any further, an alarm blared in the cockpit. "Look sharp, pilots. The target is approaching from the sea. Weapons at the ready," Misato said over the communications link.

Sure enough, a large swell was now appearing in the water, approaching far faster than Asuka had anticipated. If she had to make an educated guess, she'd say it was breaking 100 knots. A huge wall of seawater proceeded the target, smashing into the coastline and washing away trees, power lines, and ruined buildings. The swell rose and the sea burst apart in a massive spray of white foam that scattered for hundreds of meters, revealing the target for all to see. Asuka's heart leapt in her throat as she gazed upon its familiar form, towering over everything but the mountain itself.

* * *

><p><em>Commander Ikari's Office<em>

"He took the bait," Fuyutsuki said.

Gendo grinned slightly. "The operation continues to run smoothly. LSO-01 may be powerful, but it has no AT-field to protect itself with. The JSSDF will wear it down, even if it would be like attacking a mountain with a chisel. Once LSO-01 finishes dealing with the army, it will hopefully be damaged enough for the Evangelions to take it down fairly easily."

"And then the Scenario can continue unabated," Fuyutsuki replied.

Gendo nodded. "More or less. Once it is dead, I would like Dr. Akagi to examine its biology. It might prove useful later on. We will also have to deal with the ever-present issue of this 'Zone Fighter' that has also fighting the Angels, but I feel that we now have a handle on that."

Fuyutsuki decided not to press the matter regarding Zone Fighter. The answer would either be untruthful or nonexistent. Besides, he felt that he didn't want to know what Gendo had in mind. He turned back to the video feed coming in from Mount Fuji. _Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? _he thought to himself.

They would soon get their answer.

* * *

><p><em>Mount Fuji<em>

Godzilla roared a challenge to the world as he sprung forward from the ocean, clearing the first defensive line of tanks in a single bound. His massive feet smashed into the ground, kicking huge clouds of dust and splintered trees into the air. The VTOLs overhead unleashed their entire payloads of JM-38 missiles, each one carrying a 200 kg warhead of high-explosives. The tanks among the defensive lines peppered him with dozens 125mm HEAT rounds, while the autoturrets fired dozens more of 300mm armor piercing rounds originally designed to destroy aircraft carriers. Several bombers overhead even dropped re-purposed ICBMs, smashing into him before detonating. Altogether, more firepower was flung at Godzilla in 38 seconds than during the entire Battle of Okinawa. It was an impressive display of human technological prowess and firepower.

All of which did precisely jack shit against a creature that has survived maser cannons, lasers, gravity bolts, plasma blasts, spiral missiles, paralyzer missiles, railguns, particle beams, four million volts of electricity coursing through his body, and nuclear weaponry in the megaton range. If Godzilla wasn't so angry at the time, he would have likely felt nostalgic at being fired on with old-fashioned lead. Instead, he simply waded through the arsenal being unloaded onto him, not even slowing his stride. The spines on his tail began to glow blue, illuminating the smoke from the explosions with the alarming light of Cherenkov radiation. His chest expanded as he inhaled, nearby trees actually swaying slightly.

"Oh, schiesse," Asuka muttered, ducking prone to the ground.

Godzilla fired his atomic ray, nearly blinding Asuka with its brilliant intensity. He swept it across the ground in an almost lazy manner, striking the automatic defenses. The ground rocked with massive explosions as his beam annihilated the turrets, cooking off the ammunition before vaporizing everything else. When the smoke cleared, there was a massive furrow in the ground that extended for nearly two kilometers and was as wide as a superhighway. The ground was blackened and cracked, releasing steam into the air. Even from seven kilometers away she could see the heat waves rising from the ground.

* * *

><p><em>Temporary Operations Center, Mount Fuji<em>

"Holy shit!" Hyuga exclaimed.

"We've lost 100% of our automated defenses," Aoba reported, trying his best to hide the panic rising in his voice. "The target is unharmed and is continuing to advance on our position. ETA is 13 minutes."

The status report was unnecessary. Misato could see what was happening unfold on the video feed from the VTOLs and tank crews. Godzilla's face, she noted, was almost like that of a rabid dog now, contorted with a level of rage she had never seen before. Her mind raced back to the flight deck of the _Over the Rainbow,_ when Godzilla had rescued Unit-00. The creature's face had been... concerned then, as though he was worried for Rei. It was a far cry from what she saw now.

_You had helped us, _she thought. _You actually went out of your way to rescue Rei and stop the monster from smashing the carrier. Why are you attacking now?_

She shook the thought out of her head, now was not the time to ponder Godzilla's motives. "What is the status of the VTOLs and armored divisions?" she asked.

"No casualties so far, the target seems to be ignoring them," Maya replied. "Thank God for that," she added silently.

"Have them pull back as quickly as possible. Prepare the N2 mine, Hyuga," Misato commanded.

"The mine has been dropped in the target's path, ETA is 45 seconds," Hyuga replied. "The JSSDF is withdrawing from the blast area, they'll be clear in 30."

"Let's see if he can brush this off so easily," Misato muttered.

* * *

><p>Asuka continued to watch as Godzilla advanced on their position, still several kilometers away. Her thoughts, to say at the least, were turbulent.<p>

_Goddamn reptile. You've stolen my kills. You weren't meant to fight the Angels, that was all supposed to be me! You didn't train all of your life to fight them, you didn't earn those kills. Well, you won't be stealing them any more. I'll skin you and make some nice boots out of your hide!_

Her communications link crackled to life. "Asuka, hunker down. We're detonating an N2 mine very soon, I don't think you want to get caught in the blast," Misato said.

Asuka did as told, crouching down and activating the light filters so she wouldn't be blinded by the flash of detonation. Rei and Toji copied the actions.

It was timely. Shortly afterwards, the N2 mine detonated with a yield equivalent to 200 kilotons of TNT, catching Godzilla in ground zero of the blast. The shockwave came several seconds later, nearly bowling Asuka and the others over with the sheer force behind it. Debris whizzed past them, occasionally glancing off of their AT fields. Asuka felt as though she had been caught in a terrible storm, and she dared not rise while the debris rushed by.

The wind eventually died to a halt, and Asuka rose to her full height. Aside from some soot on her armor, she was completely unscathed. A mushroom cloud was erupting upwards in the distance, colored a dirty brown. Could it be tainted with bits of radioactive lizard? The ground zero of the blast was still obscured, it could be some time before they knew anything about Godzilla's status. Deciding to err on the side of caution, she continued to tightly grip her pallet rifle.

"Do you think he's dead?" Toji inquired. His voice, Asuka noted, was rather shaky. She snorted as she recalled what the jock's friend said about him fainting when Godzilla had appeared to fight the Fifth Angel.

Before anyone could reply, Toji got his answer. It was not a pleasant one. With a grim silence, Godzilla emerged from the mushroom cloud, smoke trailing after him and distorting the mushroom shape behind him. Misato began swearing over the commlink, Toji joining in with great enthusiasm. A small gasp escaped Rei's lips as well, and Asuka's jaw dropped in an almost comical matter at the sight of the nuclear leviathan. _That can't be possible! _she told herself.

Godzilla wasn't just alive, he was virtually unscathed from the blast. The Fourth Angel had been temporarily incapacitated by a bomb with a tenth of the power of the one used here, and yet he didn't even appear to have slowed down one bit. Asuka gulped LCL nervously, and began to feel very uneasy. _Looks like this fight is going to be a lot tougher than I imagined._

* * *

><p>Commander Ikari's Office<p>

"It appears that we have underestimated our opponent," Fuyutsuki commented dryly.

"So we have, Fuyutsuki," Gendo replied. "I am not too terribly surprised that the N2 mine failed, however. That's why I had the Evangelions participate in this operation. Now it is their turn to try and take it down."

_And fail, _Fuyutsuki thought to himself.

* * *

><p>"Asuka, we're going to have to fall back. I'm not going to risk your lives with this... monster. Whatever's in the facility, I'm sure you're more important," Misato said over the commlink, once she had finished wasting her breath on obscure curses.<p>

Asuka didn't hear the order, or rather she didn't heed it. She simply gritted her teeth and glared at Godzilla, who was now two kilometers away, and advancing quickly. Her grip tightened on her pallet rifle, and with a battle cry she rushed forward, ready to reduce the radioactive dinosaur to nothing more than little bits scattered over the countryside. She could hear Misato ordering her to turn back, but she ignored it. Once the lizard was dead, she decided, there wouldn't be any point in Misato reprimanding her, she would probably be too busy congratulating her on her successful kill. Unit-01 followed shortly after her, Toji unwilling to let someone get killed on his watch, even if that someone was the Red Devil herself. Rei stayed put, but began loading her sniper rifle. Asuka was clearing the ground between her and Godzilla very quickly, unloading her rifle into his torso as she advanced. It failed to do anything more than illicit an angry roar from him, and she leapt into the air, drawing her progressive knife from her shoulder pylon.

Before this particular melee begins, it might be for the best to take a look at each combatant. On one side, you have Asuka Langley Sorhyu. At 14 years old, she has trained for combat for much of her life. She pilots Evangelion Unit-02; a biotechnological war machine that weighs 2000 tons and can produce a very resistant barrier called an AT-field, it is also very quick and nimble for something its size. Armed with a progressive knife, a vibrating blade made from secret alloys that can slice through Angel flesh, she makes for a formidable opponent.

On the other side, you have Godzilla, King of the Monsters. At 66 million years old, he lacks formal training but has aeons of fighting experience. A hardened veteran of ancient battles that frequently transformed the local geography, he employs an incredible brutal fighting style in combat, occasionally tempered with a skilled grace more at home in a martial arts movie. Capable of utilizing tremendous atomic energies in combat, he can withstand nuclear weapons unscathed and beats similarly durable monsters to death on a semi-regular basis, and has done so for more years than there are people in Tokyo-3, London-2, and Neo Calcutta combined.

This will not end well.

Asuka slammed into Godzilla at half of the speed of sound, her AT-field shattering like a dropped plate. The impact sounded like a cannon shot that could be heard for miles around, sending Godzilla back a few meters and temporarily stunning the brash pilot. She rose, staggering from the impact. She almost saw the arm swinging at her too late, and managed a narrow dodge. With a yell she stabbed upwards with her progressive knife, aiming at Godzilla's throat. To her disappointment, it barely imbedded in his flesh. Godzilla roared and ripped out the knife, the blade warped and melting from his radioactive blood. Asuka noted with surprise that the wound was already sealing shut. He grabbed Asuka's arm, and in an almost casual manner, snapped it like a twig. Asuka screamed, trying to wrench her arm free from his vice-like grip, to no avail.

Thankfully, Unit-01 joined the fray, clumsily tackling Godzilla and causing him to let go of Asuka's ruined arm. The relief was brief, however. Godzilla quickly overpowered the purple Evangelion and knocked it to the ground with a thundering roar. Grabbing Unit-01 by the leg, he wielded the living weapon as a club and used it to slam Asuka into the blackened ground, breaking its arm in the process. With a casual flick he then threw it over his shoulder, growling. Asuka could see the fury and hatred in his eyes, and began to sweat. "Damn it," swore, clutching her arm, trying to conquer the pain of the phantom injury and continue the fight. It was too late for anything else, however, as Godzilla raised a titanic foot. It came crashing down, breaking some of her ribs and pressing her deeper into the ground. Godzilla repeated the process twice more, then straddled the Evangelion, raising a clawed fist.

_This will hurt, _Asuka told herself, bracing for what was to follow.

* * *

><p><em>Temporary Operations Center, Mount Fuji<em>

"Cut Asuka's synch, now!" Misato barked angrily. Maya set to work, quickly severing the neural connections between Unit-02 and its unfortunate pilot.

It was just in time. Godzilla's fist smashed down towards Unit-02's head. The Evangelion's head was completely, for lack of a better word, pulped by the powerful blow. The surrounding area was decorated in dark blue blood, bits of armor, and brain matter. Had Asuka still been in synch with the Eva, she would've likely died from shock. With a derisive snort Godzilla rose and continued on his way, ignoring the red cyborg now. He failed to notice, however, Unit-01 rising to its feet half a kilometer away. Had he bothered to look back, he would have noticed that its eyes were a different color, and that its jaws were open .

"What's the status of Unit-01?" Misato asked.

"The neural connections are being severed by something other than us!" Maya exclaimed. "Unit-01 is rising on its own!"

"Oh God," Misato whispered. "It's gone berserk."

* * *

><p>Unit-01 bellowed, a ghastly sound that drew Godzilla's attention just as the purple Evangelion slammed into him at an impressive speed. It began to rapidly punch him in the face with its one good arm, roaring. Godzilla growled and shoved Unit-01 away, sending it stumbling but not falling. He was slightly surprised when it raised its broken arm and the limb reset itself, bulging and swelling in a rather nauseating manner. With a satisfied grunt the Evangelion lunged once more at Godzilla in a manner reminiscent of an ape or a bear. Godzilla rushed forward as well, roaring a challenge as the two collided.<p>

They began to trade blows with each other, a savage display of strength on both sides. Godzilla's blows were stronger, however, and had begun to smash armor and break the skin underneath. It didn't seem to faze the berserk Evangelion, however, and it snapped forward, attempting to crush his windpipe between its teeth. Godzilla kicked it square in the torso, sending it tumbling down the slope. As it did so, he took hold of the umbilical cord still attached to its back, the protective layer peeling off from the friction between the cord and his scaly hands. The Evangelion snapped to a halt and rose, still roaring. Straining his arms, Godzilla managed to sever the cord and growled in triumph, then did something that astonished everyone watching. With the cord still in his hands, he began to spin. Unit-01 was pulled along, flailing its limbs helplessly. He spun about a few times, gaining speed with each revolution. With one last spin, he let go, stumbling about dizzily. Unit-01, on the other hand, went flying for over ten kilometers, stopping only when it slammed into a distant mountainside. Fortunately, it managed to save itself and Toji by diverting all of its remaining power to its AT-field in a purely defensive manner, cushioning the impact considerably. Unfortunately, it was definitely out for the count.

Once he had regained his sense of balance, Godzilla continued to scale to slope of the mountain, roaring a challenge to anyone foolish enough to get in his way. His roar was answered by a high-velocity sniper round to the chest, something that managed to knock off the first layer of skin. In the distance, he could see another one of the strange hybrids of man, machine, and alien. It was the same one that he had rescued in the harbor, several days ago. The fact that he was fighting an ally with a young woman inside did nothing to loosen the firm resolve in Godzilla's heart, if it wished to stand between him and his son, then it would die.

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere over Tokyo-3<em>

Shinji raced across the sky, a sonic boom sounding in his wake. He needed to get to Mount Fuji as quickly as possible, before anyone got hurt. Or worse. Gordon and the others had stayed behind, but Miki could still communicate with him telepathically. That would allow him to find quickly Junior and bring him back to his father before it was too late.

As a mushroom cloud rose over the mountains, he began to wonder if it was too late. He increased his speed, rapidly clearing the mountains and making his way to Mount Fuji. He was coming in from a different direction, there would be no chance to see the battle unfold until he reached the facility itself. He reached the building in question and gently landed, walking over to a nearby door. He didn't bother to check whether or not it was locked, he simply ripped it off of its hinges with a groaning tear and made his way inside.

_Alright Shinji, you're going to have to follow my directions, _Miki said. _There is a hall to your right, your going to find another door at the end of it. It leads to a stairwell. Junior is being kept in a lab at the lowest level of the facility, three floors down._

Shinji followed Miki's instructions, but soon hit a snag in the form of several Section 2 agents rushing up the stairs to intercept him. Obviously his break-in had not gone unnoticed, they must have had a silent alarm. As they raised their weapons, Shinji quickly threw up a Zone Barrier to protect himself. Several rounds ricocheted off the barrier, but it held. He then decided to use his Subduing Mist on the agents, flooding the stairwell with a white gas designed to tranquilize just about any earthly creature without harm. The agents coughed and sputtered, then collapsed on the ground, unconscious. With that particular snag out of the way, Shinji made his way to the lab unabated.

Junior was also aware of the commotion, and warbled happily when he saw Shinji walk up to the cage he found himself trapped in. Shinji was quick, firing short bursts from his Proton Beam in order to sever the metal bars. In a matter of seconds Junior was free, and the joyous infant rewarded his rescuer with a slobbering kiss.

"It's good to see you, too," Shinji said. "Follow me."

Thankfully, Junior appeared to have understood the command, and began to follow Shinji up the stairs. That was when loud, booming footsteps began to be heard. The building actually shook with the force of each ponderous footfall, and Shinji struggled to retain his balance. "What's going on now?" he asked himself.

* * *

><p><em>Earlier<em>

Firing at Godzilla, Rei noted, was not the smartest idea. Not only did the rounds actually fail to do any lasting damage to the titanic beast, but they allowed him to pinpoint her location. As he charged up his atomic ray, she began to distance herself from the facility, hoping to draw the beam away it. It worked, which was not necessarily a good thing for her. The beam smashed right through her AT-field, severing her left arm at the shoulder in the process. Rei screamed, bubbles forming in the LCL as she clutched her shoulder. The pain was indescribable, she had never felt it at such a level before. She collapsed to the ground, moaning weakly. It took every ounce of her willpower not to slip into unconsciousness and escape the pain.

Seemingly satisfied with the attack, Godzilla continued on to the facility, completely unopposed. There was no one else left to fight him. Unit-02 lay broken on the ground, and miles away Unit-01 lay inert, having deactivated shortly after its impact with the mountainside. Victory, it seemed, was inevitable for the nuclear leviathan.

"No," Rei muttered. She struggled to her feet, clutching her burnt shoulder. She couldn't let him kill Misato and the others inside. She began to hobble towards him, stopping occasionally when the pain was too much. "I can't let you," she said.

* * *

><p><em>Temporary Operations Center<em>

"Unit-00 is down!" Hyuga exclaimed. "Godzilla is making his way to the facility!"

"Everyone, begin evacuating the building! We need recovery teams for the pilots!" Misato barked.

That was when the lights went out, followed shortly by the roof being ripped off by humongous and scaly hands. Misato squinted as the bright sunlight assailed her eyes, only for a titanic shape to cast a shadow on her and the others. As her vision adjusted, her eyes widened with shock. To her right, Aoba fainted, slumping forward on his desk. She couldn't blame him, really.

The fiery orange eyes of Godzilla himself glared down at the group. She could see the hatred behind his eyes, and feel his hot breath as it nearly knocked her over. Had she been brave or foolish enough, she could have stood on a chair and put a hand to his charcoal grey scales, he was that close to them. Teeth the size of of cars were revealed as Godzilla bared his teeth and rose, raising a fist to smash the group into a fine pink vapor. Misato gritted her teeth and gripped her cross tightly, unwilling to cower before the titan before her. Had Godzilla been in a better mood, he would have admired her for that.

The blow never came, however. Unit-00 tackled Godzilla from the side, swinging its one remaining arm at his face. The radioactive colossus simply grabbed the arm in his hand, however, and ripped it out of its socket with a strong tug. The room was drenched in blood as Godzilla threw the arm away, and Misato could hear the sound of Maya vomiting. Godzilla's focus was entirely on Unit-00 now. He slashed it across the face and chest with his claws, tearing away armor and flesh with each strike. Rushing forward, he slammed it into the ground with a resounding crash, then grabbed it by the head and feet. He lifted the Evangelion clear over his head, and with frightening speed brought it down on his raised knee. There was a distinct crack, which Misato realized with horror was the sound of Unit-00's spine snapping.

Godzilla held Unit-00 by the head now, eyeing the limp Evangelion. His spines began to glow blue again, and he inhaled deeply once more, ready to finish it off once and for all. Just as his maw was filling with the immense energies of his beam, however, a warbling cry sounded out from behind Misato. Turning around, she saw the same creature that had fought the swarm in Hakone, alongside with Zone Fighter. The creature cried out once more, its face clearly showing distress.

The beam died in Godzilla's mouth. He let go of Unit-00, and the Evangelion collapsed once free of his grasp. His face had softened both considerably and instantly, and with a growl he leaned down closer to the creature. It was then that Misato made the connections. The sudden fortification of Mount Fuji. Godzilla's random aggressiveness towards humans. The relentless behavior he had shown as he advanced upon them. It was not the actions of some beast assaulting mankind for no reason. It was the actions of a father looking for his son.

The baby warbled and nuzzled Godzilla, purring contentedly. A louder, deeper purr erupted from Godzilla's throat, and his eyes closed joyfully. The infant began to craw over his head, and soon settled into a comfortable position on the the nape of his neck, resting against one of his spines. Godzilla rose once more, and didn't even spare Misato and the others a glare as he turned about and began to make his way down the slope. He paused briefly, however, and glanced over at the ruined Unit-00 with what could be described as remorse. It was only for a few seconds, and he soon began to amble down the slope once more.

Misato wasted no time in ordering about the technicians to reestablish contact with HQ and bring about retrieval crews for the Evangelions. When she finally turned around again, she noted that Zone Fighter was gone.

* * *

><p><em>Commander Ikari's Office<em>

"This mission was an utter failure, Ikari," Fuyutsuki said. "The Committee will be most displeased with this unexpected development. What shall we do now?"

Gendo didn't reply, he simply seethed with a barely contained rage, glaring at the video feed as LSO-01 returned to sea victorious and with his son in tow. Fuyutsuki felt that now would be a good time to leave. Shortly after the doors closed behind him he heard something break. He couldn't help but smile to himself. The commander wasn't so stoic after all, it seemed.

* * *

><p><em>NERV Medical Wing, the next day<em>

Asuka looked up at an unfamiliar ceiling, brooding angrily. She had been utterly humiliated by that overgrown iguana, and it bruised her ego immensely. Not only had the Great Asuka Langley Soryhu failed to kill the last three Angels, but the creature that stole her glory had beaten her into the ground with barely any effort. Thankfully, all she had to show for it were some bruises from the rocking of the entry plug, it was fortunate that the connection was cut before anything else could've happened to her. Nonetheless, she would be reminded of her failure every time she looked in the mirror for a few days. Why couldn't she be like Shinji and sleep them off?

Shinji. Asuka still didn't know if he was all right, the last she saw of him was him shutting the door as the giant bugs were advancing. That Zone Fighter fellow's words had done nothing to soothe her, the poor idiot was probably inside some bug's gullet right now. She steeled her heart, now was not the time for crying.

Her musings were interrupted when Misato walked into the hospital room. "How are you feeling, Asuka?" she asked.

"Fine," Asuka grumbled, sitting up in the bed. "What happened after I lost connection?"

"I'll brief you later," Misato replied. "In the meantime, you have a visitor."

Asuka's heart leapt into her throat when Shinji walked into the room, completely unscathed. "H-how are you feeling?" the boy asked, scratching the back of his head.

_SMACK!_

Her right hand moved with unbelievable swiftness, leaving a red welt on his cheek.

"Ow! What was that for, Asu-" Shinji began, only to be cut off when Asuka pulled him into a hug, nearly breaking his ribs in the process.

"Don't you ever do something that stupid again, baka!" Asuka exclaimed, hugging him even tighter. A slight cough from the back of the room broke the hug up, and with a red face Asuka noted that Misato was still in the room, grinning to herself.

"Don't let me interrupt," Misato said jokingly.

Asuka simply replied with a monosyllabic grunt. She got up from the bed and began to stretch the stiffness out of her joints. "Can I leave, now?"

"Rits said that you're in the clear," Misato replied. "Come on Shinji, give Asuka some privacy while she changes," she added with another grin.

Shinji blushed and walked out of the room. Asuka changed quickly and joined him and Misato out in the hall. As she did, she noticed the sound of hospital machinery whirring. Her eyes turned to the source of the sound, another room across the hall from hers. She gasped slightly as she saw Rei, covered almost head to toe in bandages or casts. Her breathing was shallow, but steady.

"What happened to her?" Asuka asked.

Misato's face fell. "I'll tell you everything when we get home. It's a long story."

* * *

><p><em>Commander Ikari's Office<em>

"You have failed miserably, Ikari!" SEELE-01 barked angrily. "LSO-01 still lives, and now your Evangelions have been nearly destroyed. Your actions have jeopardized the entire Scenario, and now the Geofront is vulnerable!"

"We have obviously underestimated the creature," Gendo replied icily. "The creature has no AT-field to speak of, not even the one that all Lilith-based life should have. LSO-01 is an enigma that defies all common sense."

"That doesn't mean it should be allowed to roam free," SEELE-04 retorted. "I suggest that we locate it and use as many N2 depth charges as it takes to annihilate it."

"The N2 mine that was used on it was the largest yield we have, and yet it was unscathed," replied Gendo. "Do you really think you could reasonably destroy it with more bombs?"

"You have a point, Ikari. However, LSO-01 must be destroyed. We are charging you with finding a way to kill it, do not fail us again," replied SEELE-01.

With that, the monoliths vanished.

**A/N: The plot thickens! Again! I hope you liked this chapter, it's the longest one yet. If Godzilla came off as a bit too strong for this fight, remember that:**

** a) I'm using FW stats for him.**

**b) Asuka and the others are still relatively low when it comes to synch rates, especially Toji. They'll get tougher as time goes on, trust me.**

**c) Godzilla is really pissed.**

**Anyway, I've updated the previous chapters, they should be a bit easier on the eyes. It will be another few days before I get another chapter churned out.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: The Meganula awaken their queen, and an Angel attacks! **


	11. Megaguirus and Israfel Attack!

_Shinji's Room_

Shinji lay on the sleeping mat, trying his best to catch some sleep. So far, it wasn't working. Sighing, he rolled onto his side and continued to listen to his SDAT player.

_You could use some variation in the music you listen to, _Zone Fighter commented. _I'm starting to go a little crazy hearing the exact same songs every day._

_What did you have in mind? _Shinji asked.

_Hikaru used to listen to rock'n'roll a lot. I got rather fond of it, although I still have a soft spot for disco, _Zone Fighter replied.

Shinji snickered_. Disco? Seriously? That's been dead for more than twenty years._

_Not in my universe, _replied Zone Fighter.

The two were so caught up in their mental conversation that they failed to notice Asuka standing in the doorway. As such, Shinji was quite surprised when she silently walked over and laid down next to him. He squeaked noiselessly and became as still as a statue, not daring to make a noise. Asuka faced away from him, her red hair spread out in a mesmerizing pattern on the pillow.

There was a silence that lasted some time before Asuka spoke. "Shinji," she began in soft and measured words, "what do you think of me?"

_You're walking on thin ice here, Shinji. Tread carefully, _Zone Fighter advised.

It took a few seconds for Shinji to find his tongue. "W-well, you're smart, y-you don't take disrespect, and-"

"Am I useless?" she asked.

Shinji was blindsided by the question. "No, of course not! You pilot an Evangelion, you fight the Angels for us."

"And I haven't gotten a single kill," Asuka replied, turning to face him. "It's always Godzilla or Zone Fighter that get the kills. It doesn't matter whether or not I get in the Eva, someone else will do it."

"If it weren't for you, the Fourth Angel would've killed Zone Fighter," Shinji countered. "And when the Sixth Angel attacked the fleet, Zone Fighter wouldn't have gotten the kill shot if you hadn't held open its jaws. You're not useless, Asuka. If it weren't for you, a lot more people would be dead. I would be dead."

Asuka's brow furrowed. "How do you know that?"

"I, uh, was watching from afar each time," Shinji replied. I was with Misato on a hill when the Fourth Angel attacked, and I accompanied you to the _Over the Rainbow._

Asuka said nothing, but closed her eyes. "I'm staying here tonight. You better not try to violate my nubile body when I'm asleep, baka," she said with her normal tone of voice. Soon after, she fell quiet, snoring softly. Shinji remained motionless, watching her sleeping face through lowered eyelids.

_You know, she's really pretty when she isn't angry, _he thought.

_I knew it! You have a crush! _Zone Fighter exclaimed.

Before Shinji could respond, Asuka began to stir. She seem... distressed, something he had never seen in her before. A single tear escaped her closed eyes. "Mama," she whimpered.

_Mama? _Shinji wondered.

_I'm just as clueless as you are, _Zone Fighter replied. _If you want to find out, you could enter her dreams._

_You can do that? _Shinji asked.

_I just need your nervous system to be in contact with hers, _Zone Fighter said.

_No... that seems too invasive, _replied Shinji. He paused for a moment, thinking. Then, with extreme caution, he gently took her hand in his. He didn't to anything else, he simply held her hand. It appeared to work, Asuka stopped stirring and her face became placid once more. Smiling, Shinji closed his eyes and finally went to sleep.

About halfway through the night, Zone Fighter took control of Shinji's hand and moved it away from Asuka's in order to prevent an awkward situation when the two woke up. Satisfied, he hopped into Shinji's dreams once more and joined him on his skiing trip on the Moon.

* * *

><p><em>Eva Cages, NERV HQ<em>

"So, how are the repairs on the Evas going, Rits?" Misato asked, leaning against the railing casually. "We'll have them up and running soon, right?"

Ritsuko sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Please tell me you're joking, Misato," she said. "Have you even read the reports I gave you on their status?"

"No, I've been too busy dealing with the paperwork the JSSDF threw at us after the whole Godzilla fiasco," Misato replied.

Ritsuko's eyebrow rose. "Godzilla?"

"Just a name for the creature that's been going around," Misato replied. "Anyway, I've been working nonstop for a while now, trying to limit the damages the JSSDF wants compensated. There weren't any casualties, thankfully, but apparently Godzilla wrecked about seven billion dollars worth of equipment, which isn't so good."

Ritsuko lit a cigarette and took a long drag to relieve some stress. "That'll be paltry in comparison to the damages done to the Evas, Misato," she replied, smoke wafting out from between her lips. "Unit-02 is in bad condition. It has seven broken ribs, severe damage to its armor plating, its left arm was completely snapped at the humerus, and its head is utterly destroyed. Unit-01 suffered the least damage, just some contusions and damage to the armor plating. If it weren't for the fact that it regenerated some of its wounds when it went berserk, however, it would be far worse off."

"How about Unit-00?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko let out a sad chuckle. "Misato, I've seen victims of bear attacks that got off luckier. It has six broken ribs, a fractured shin, severe lacerations across its chest, a missing arm, and its back is completely snapped in half. We've also run into some major difficulties with the missing arm. The cells around the stump are dying from radiation poisoning. We're going to have to remove the diseased tissue before we can begin regrowing the arm, otherwise we could have a cancerous lump instead."

"How long until repairs are finished?" Misato asked.

"For all of them? I'd give it a month, maybe two," Ritsuko replied. "If we focus repairs on Unit-01, it could be fully operational in a week, maybe less."

"Alright, then," Misato said, straightening. "I've got to finish up the paperwork."

The captain left the cages. Ritsuko looked up at the battered form of Unit-01, sighed, and took another puff of her cigarette.

* * *

><p><em>Old Tokyo<em>

The queen stirred in her cocoon. Her spawn had returned far fewer in number than they had set out in, but they had what she needed: food. She feasted upon the morsels they brought her, supplementing it with they spawn themselves. She could always hatch more. Once that was finished, she had formed the cocoon about herself, drawing radiation from the surrounding area into her body. The transformation was quick and startling, soon she was at her full size, a majestic 50 meters in length.

It was time. She emerged from her cocoon, screeching for the world to hear. Her wings spread out from her body, drying themselves. Once they were free of moisture, she rose from the ground, her wings moving too rapidly for the human eye to see. She sped off, looking to quell her fearsome appetite. There was a hotspot nearby, rich with both living things and energy for her to consume and use to feed her next brood of spawn.

Megaguirus was on the hunt.

* * *

><p><em>School, the next day<em>

Kensuke was not in the jolliest of moods. First and foremost, Rei wasn't in today. He suspected it might have something to do with the N2 mine detonation beyond the mountains, no one knew what happened over there. NERV was being especially tight-lipped about that particular case, and had also put considerable work into hushing up the incident with the giant man-eating bugs. For hours he had been researching insects, but it appeared that there was nothing like them at any point in Earth's history. It was... confusing, to say at the very least.

There was a substitute teacher in today, a young woman named Mrs. Saegusa. She had proved to be a far better teacher than the old fart that just kept rambling on about Second Impact, it was almost as if she knew exactly how to get the message across with her lessons. She never forgot names, she never raised her voice, and she was remarkably intelligent. Kensuke found that he was actually learning something in class, and listened with rapt attention. It was almost too soon when the bell rung and school ended. As he made his way out of the classroom, he saw Mrs. Saegusa having a conversation with Shinji. He was too far away to hear anything, but he noticed that she had a rather grave expression on her face.

After the conversation was over, Shinji began to quickly make his way out of the classroom, Kensuke stealthily trailing behind. The otaku's silent tracking of the washed-out pilot soon took him out into the woods near the school. As such, he failed to notice the alarms blaring in every building across Tokyo-3, directing people to the nearest emergency shelters. It was a rather important thing for him to hear, considering what was to come next.

Soon, Shinji reached a clearing in the woods. Kensuke hid behind a tree, peeking out slightly. To his complete surprise, Shinji suddenly stretched out his hands and brought them together. "ZONE DOBURU FIGHTU!"

Kensuke gaped, his eyes directed upwards. "Ho-ly shit!" he exclaimed, really wishing he had brought his camera with him now.

* * *

><p><em>Outskirts of Tokyo-3<em>

Megaguirus rushed forward, ignoring the missiles and artillery shells slamming into her. She was almost at the hotspot now, and saliva began to drip down from her gaping maw in anticipation. Soon she would be able to feed.

An obstacle came in her way, however. It was a silver creature taller than she was, sharing the same body shape as the small creatures running about beneath her. Blazing yellow eyes glared at her, an expression her primitive brain understood. It appeared that she would have to fight for her meal, but as she felt the energy coming off of it, it didn't seem like such a bad thing.

* * *

><p>Shinji steeled himself for battle. The monster hovering over the city was like some humongous dragonfly, except far more menacing in appearance. Its long tail was tipped with a large stinger that occasionally twitched, almost as if it was anticipating impaling someone. According to what Miki had told him, it was called Megaguirus.<p>

_Okay Shinji, you have to be careful with this one, _Zone Fighter said. _It's incredibly fast, it'll be able to dodge you attacks with ease. You're also going to have to be careful with that stinger, it's going to try to stab you with it and drain you of energy._

As if on cue, Megaguirus lunged forward, stinger at the ready. Shinji was barely able to dodge, Zone Fighter wasn't joking about the monster's speed. Megaguirus quickly spun about, screeching. Shinji fired off a Proton Beam, hoping for a lucky shot, and the creature moved out of the way. The beam blasted uselessly into the sky, soon disappearing from sight. Shinji sighed. _It didn't hurt to try, _he thought to himself.

It was Megaguirus's turn now. A blue ball of energy formed in the monster's thorax and shot forward at an astonishing velocity. Shinji didn't have enough time to dodge, it hit him dead on in a brilliant explosion, knocking him through a building in the process. The armor on his chest sizzled, steam rising from where the blast had struck him. Shinji rose, staggering. Megaguirus lunged forward, ready to impale him. It failed to notice the energy buildup in Shinji's hand.

Shinji managed to duck as the monstrous dragonfly dashed overhead, making his move. The stinger missed its target, but a clawed foot managed to make a small gash in his shoulder. He spun about, gritting his teeth. Megaguirus turned as well. Suddenly, its left pincer fell down, green ichor oozing from the wound. As Megaguirus screeched in agony, Shinji grinned. That cutting beam was pretty useful, albeit energy draining.

To his disappointment, Megaguirus recovered quickly. At this distance, dodging didn't seem very feasible. Before the monster could lunge, however, a purple blur slammed into it. Megaguirus fell to the ground, flailing its limbs about. It rose from the ground and glared at its new opponent.

It was Unit-01. Shinji saw that it had what appeared to be large bandages on some parts of its body, but overall it seemed to be ready to fight. The purple Evangelion drew its prog knife and entered a fighting stance. Shinji did so as well, moving to its side. Megaguirus screeched and lunged forward.

* * *

><p>Asuka grinned as she dodged to the side, making an appreciable gash in the monster dragonfly's wing with her knife. Its howl of agony was music to her ears. <em>This creature's a joke, <em>she thought to herself. _I'll one-up that silver asshole and kill this thing before he can._

She failed to notice the sudden appearance of an energy sphere in the monster's thorax until it was too late. It smashed into her, shattering her AT-field in the process and smashing her into the ground. Asuka gritted her teeth in pain, Unit-01 was still rather bruised and battered from its battle with Godzilla. It was only from some pressuring from the government that the Commander had even allowed the Eva to launch, under the condition that she, as the most experienced pilot, would be the one in the plug. It appeared that he had made a wise choice, it was only through her finely-tuned reflexes that she dodged the second blast, which ended up hitting Zone Fighter instead. The monster sprung forward, its stinger at the ready. There was no time to dodge this attack, she could only hope that she would survive what came next. Considering the size of the stinger, she seriously doubted that.

That was when something moved in the way, and with a gasp Asuka realized that it was Zone Fighter. The silver giant cried out in pain as the stinger stabbed into his side, red blood flowing from the wound. The monster made a sound of satisfaction and latched on, resisting the weak struggles to get it off. That was the last thing Asuka saw before the entry plug suddenly went dark.

* * *

><p>Megaguirus screeched triumphantly as she began to siphon energy from the silver assailant. Already she could feel herself growing stronger, soon she would be full and ready to make more spawn. The giant's movements were glowing more sluggish, the sign of weakening prey.<p>

Suddenly, strong hands took hold of her stinger and pulled it out of the giant's side. It was the purple metal thing that dared attack her. Megaguirus howled angrily and tried to shake off the assailant, but it was of no use. The purple thing tightened its grip, and in an amazing show of strength, ripped the stinger out, roaring all the while. Megaguirus screeched in agony, blindly flailing about. To her misfortune, the purple attacker didn't finish there. Howling, it began stabbing her repeatedly with her own stinger, tearing apart armored exoskeleton and destroying the soft innards underneath. After a few stabs, the stinger broke off somewhere in her guts, and the purple giant proceeded to pound her into the ground with wildly swinging fists. Some of the metal broke off around the mouth, and Megaguirus realized that the thing was actually flesh and blood underneath. Glaring at her with green eyes, the beast began to tear into her exposed viscera with pearly white teeth. The last thing the queen of the Meganula ever saw was the nightmarish face of the purple attacker as it lunged towards her face, jaws wide open.

* * *

><p><em>Operations Center, NERV HQ<em>

Misato watched in astonishment as Unit-01 began to devour the monster that had attacked the city. The idea of the purple Evangelion going berserk in the hands of an inexperienced pilot was plausible, but when Asuka was in control... something was off.

An alarm broke her reverie. "Blue Pattern detected off the shore of Osaka!" Hyuga exclaimed. "Estimated time of arrival is one hour!"

"Unit-00 and Unit-02 still aren't ready for combat," Misato said. She glanced back at the video feed showing Unit-01 making a meal out of the giant dragonfly thing. "And I don't think we can prepare Unit-01 for combat, either."

Maya finished vomiting and wiped her mouth. "What can we do?"

Misato had an idea. "Access the external audio speakers in that section," she said. "We're going to make a request of a certain someone."

* * *

><p>Shinji rose weakly, placing a hand over his wound. Red blood was pouring into the street below, his blood. He wondered just how much he had lost already, and how much longer he could stay conscious. A groan directed his blurry vision to his side. Unit-01 rose from the pile of gore that had been Megaguirus, green ichor and bits of flesh surrounding its mouth. The Evangelion looked at him with an almost tender expression, and then shut down.<p>

_Shinji, you are in really bad shape right now. You've lost twenty percent of your blood, and I don't thing you can just sleep off this wound, _Zone Fighter said.

Before Shinji could say anything, the emergency speakers, usually meant to direct people to their shelters, blared to life. "Zone Fighter," Misato's voice crackled and resonated, "there is an Angel emerging off the shore of Osaka. We can't fight it right now, there's nothing available for combat. We need you to save us, Zone Fighter."

_No, _Zone Fighter said firmly. _Shinji, going out there would be a suicide mission. Besides, we're too low on power to even get there._

_I can't just let them die! _Shinji snapped back. _When you gave me this power, you said that together we can save the world. The world needs saving right now. I'll do it with or without your help._

Zone Figher sighed. _I could draw power from that umbilical cable in the Evangelion's back. With some energy I might be able to staunch the bleeding. I still don't think you should go, Shinji. Let someone else stop the Angel._

_Like who? Godzilla? _Shinji asked in exasperation. _You saw how pissed he was at us. He's never going to help us again. Now, lets recharge, shall we?_

Zone Fighter complied. The material on Shinji's gloves became almost like that of the graphene chargers he had seen at science conventions. Walking weakly over to the deactivated Unit-01, he removed the cord from its back and took hold of the socket. He could feel the energy flowing back into his body, almost as if he were reversing the flow of time. The wound in his side became less painful, and the bleeding stopped. After half a minute or so, he let go of the socket, his belt light glowing blue once took off into the sky, breaking the sound barrier as he sped towards Osaka.

During the flight, the only thing going through his head was _I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away..._

* * *

><p><em>Osaka<em>

Israfel, the Seventh Angel, strolled through the city of Osaka. It was a massive behemoth, 130 meters tall from head to foot. Its appearance was vaguely apish, but it also had an artificial aesthetic to its flesh, looking more like a carved metal statue than a living thing. It had four huge arms, two to each side, tipped with clawed hands. Its face was almost like that of a yin-yang symbol, and two cores were imbedded in its chest. Each footstep it took left craters in the ground as it continued to make its way to the Geofront. Several VTOLs and tank battalions had engaged it at the shorelines, their ruins now littered the beach.

A shape in the sky caught its attention. Before the Angel could figure out what it was, it slammed into it, sending it back 300 meters.

* * *

><p>Shinji reeled from the impact, barely maintaining his balance as he backed away from the prone Angel. As it rose from the ground, he didn't give it any chance to counterattack. He fired off a trio of Proton Beams, rending large holes in its flesh. While the Angel reeled from the attacks, he charged up a Third-Level Cutting Beam. With a battle cry, he fired the beam, neatly cutting the Angel in half from head to groin. The two halves fell to the ground, as did Shinji. He gritted his teeth and clutched at the wound once more, stifling a cry of pain.<p>

_All right, mission's accomplished. You need to get some medical attention as qui- _Zone Fighter began, only to be silenced as the two halves of the Angel suddenly rose and formed two smaller versions of it, each one only 95 meters tall. Before Shinji could react, they moved in unison, sending him flying into a nearby building with a kick. They gave him no time to recover, and began flinging energy blasts from their hands. Shinji cried out as the attacks slagged his armor in places and burnt him. He rose, staggering, only to be pounded into the ground once more by the twin Angels. The blows were rapid and powerful, Shinji felt like he was in the ring with an MMA fighter. He tasted copper in his mouth, and his ribs groaned under the pressure of the Angel's attacks. Consciousness began to slip from him...

Then a sound Shinji thought he would never hear again rolled across the hills, a screeching roar that could strike terror in men and monsters alike. A massive bulk smashed into both Angels, knocking them into the ground with tremendous force. The Angels rose to face their new opponent, only to actually take a step back, revealing and emotion Shinji never knew they could feel.

Fear.

Godzilla, King of the Monsters, roared a challenge to the Angels as he went forward to engage them in a melee. They attempted to fight back, but their blows were like raindrops in comparison to his tremendous strength. Growling, he took hold of an arm from each Angel and ripped them out of their sockets, spraying blood everywhere. Before the twin Angels could recover, he began beating them viciously with their own limbs in a savage display of strength and brutality. To his dismay, each time he smashed the core of one, the other's core would shine and reconstruct it. Nevertheless, he made sure that the Angels were little more than piles of broken bones and torn flesh before he rose again.

Blood dripping from his claws, Godzilla walked over to Shinji and extended a hand. Shinji took it, and with a heave was pulled back up. "Thanks," he panted, still clutching his wound.

Godzilla responded by pointing towards one of the Angels, almost as if to say "we aren't out of the woods yet". He then placed the other clawed hand over his own chest, followed by pointing both at Shinji and the other Angel. Shinij understood the gesture, and turned in unison with Godzilla to face the Angels, which were still trying to heal their horrific injuries. He charged up his Proton Beam and aimed his Meteor Missiles with shaking hands while Godzilla powered up his atomic ray. The two attacks struck each Angel at the same time, destroying each core simultaneously and for good. A massive explosion rocked the earth, and all that remained was a massive crater in the ground.

The battle was over. Godzilla roared in victory and began to make his way back to sea, eager to return to his son. Shinji rose into the air and began to race back home with his remaining energy, trying to fight back unconsciousness. He wondered if he would be able to make it in time.

* * *

><p><em>Enroute to Misato's Apartment<em>

The car ride home was spent in silence. Asuka had been in a foul mood ever since the battle with the dragonfly monster, and Misato did not wish to press the matter. Soon they were back home, and the two made their way up the steps in silence. That silence was broken, however, when they saw that their apartment door was open and blood stained the floor. Drawing her gun and gesturing for Asuka to stay put, Misato crept inside. When she saw what was inside, she gasped.

Asuka ran in. "What is it, Misato?" she asked. Before the purple-haired woman could reply, Asuka got her answer.

Zone Fighter was propped up on the couch, bloodied, battered, and burnt. His armor was gone in several places, revealing what appeared to be human skin underneath. Kensuke was at his side, trying poorly to staunch the bleeding from his wounds. "I found him collapsed on the ground," the otaku said. "I need help removing his helmet, he sounds like he's having trouble breathing."

Misato knelt down by Zone Fighter's side. Just as Kensuke said, his breathing was raspy and irregular. The eye lights were not on, and the belt light was dark. She probed his neckline, looking for a way to remove the helmet. There. A small button on each side, almost impossible to detect. Pressing them, she managed to remove the helmet, and gasped at what she saw. Despite it being severely bruised and having an eye swollen completely shut, it was clearly the face of Shinji Ikari.

"S-shinji?" Asuka asked.

The boy's good eye cracked open. "I-I mustn't run away," he whispered, then slipped once more into unconsciousness.

**A/N: The plot is about as thick as maple syrup now, huh? I hope you liked this chapter, the next one will be rather devoid of action.**


	12. Off the Rails! Reinforcements Arrive!

_Misato's Apartment_

"Shinji?" Asuka repeated, her face devoid of any color. "W-who are you?"

The boy didn't reply, he remained completely quiet. Misato pressed her fingers against his neck, looking for a pulse. There was one, but it was very faint. "We have to take him to the hospital," she said, panic rising in her voice. She fumbled about for her cellphone with one hand and pressed a cloth to Shinji's wound with the other in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. With a sick feeling in her stomach she realized that her phone's screen was smeared in blood.

"And what? Tell the doctor 'Hey, could you be kind and operate on Zone Fighter while keeping quiet about it?'," Kensuke asked incredulously. "NERV will come in and dissect him or something. We can't let them do that to him!"

"We can't just let him die!" Misato snapped back.

There was the sound of footsteps behind them, and Kensuke turned his head, half-expecting to find Section 2 agents moving in with raised guns. Instead he found the robot that had saved him the other day standing in the hallway. Standing next to it was... Mrs. Saegusa? Kensuke blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming. No, his substitute teacher was actually standing right next to a robot in the hallway.

The two entered the apartment and knelt alongside Misato, gently pushing her to the side. The robot produced a syringe out of nowhere and injected its contents into Shinji's arm. The boy's breathing became a bit more even, but otherwise remained unaffected. Misato simply stared in shock, the events of the day were finally too much for her.

Mrs. Saegusa shook her head. "He's lost a lot of blood. I don't think he'll make it to the island."

"We believe that we can be of help," two voices said simultaneously to their side. Kensuke turned to the source of the voices and had _another _great shock of the day. Standing on Shinji's pillow were two women, identical in appearance and garbed in clothing more at home in the pre-impact Pacific islands. Of course, the most shocking part was the fact that they were only 6 inches tall. At this point, Kensuke was beginning to seriously doubt his sanity.

"Who are you?" Kensuke asked, his jaw dropping.

"We are the Twin Priestesses of Mothra. We are also known as the Shobijin, the Elias, and the Cosmos," the twins said in that rather unsettling unison.

"We speak for the Goddess and her fellow Rulers of Earth," one said.

"We are also a conduit for a fraction of her power," the other said.

"You can help Shinji?" Misato managed to finally say, having digested most of what she had seen in the past ten minutes.

The Shobijin nodded. "Please move away from Shinji Ikari," they said. Misato and the others complied. Once they did so, the twins turned to Shinji, raised their arms, and began to sing.

_"Mahal Mahal Mosura,_

_Tama Tama Mosura,_

_Laban Guerra Labanan,"_

Misato saw that Shinji was beginning to glow now, a gentle orange aura that illuminated the entire apartment. Pen-Pen took notice as well, and exited his freezer to watch, concern lining his avian face.

_"Laban Guerra Labanan,_

_Mahal Mahal Mosura,_

_Tama Tama Mosura,"_

The song finished, and the glow faded with it. With a gasp Misato realized that Shinji's wounds were completely gone. His breathing was even and devoid of any gurgles or rasps. "How did y-"

"We channeled a portion of the Goddess's power to heal him of his wounds," the twins replied.

"He must rest now," one said.

"We must hurry," the other said. "Forces against all of us are converging on our location."

With that, the twins vanished. There was no bright light, no flourish of smoke or energy to indicate their departure. One moment they were there, the next they weren't.

"They're right," Mrs. Saegusa said. "We have a car ready, pack the essentials quickly and then let's go."

The robot gently took Shinji into its arms and began to carry him out of the door. Misato grabbed Pen-Pen and hurried after them. Kensuke, having nothing with him and _really _wishing now that he had a camera with him, was next. Asuka paused briefly in thought, then went into Shinji's room. She returned quickly and ran after the others, an SDAT player in her hand.

There was indeed a car waiting for them, most likely a rental. The robot was nowhere to be seen, probably secreted away in the trunk in order to reduce suspicion. Mrs. Saegusa took the driver's seat, Misato took the passenger seat. Shinji was asleep in the middle seat in the back row, and Asuka and Kensuke sat on either side of him. Strangely enough, the redhead pilot didn't seem to mind when his head leaned against her shoulder.

The car ride was spent in silence, mainly because one occupant was asleep, one wasn't fond of verbal communication, and the others were still trying to sort out what was happening. Eventually they arrived in the ruins of Old Tokyo, a silent memorial to the brutal Impact Wars. They passed through a veritable forest of crumbling buildings until they came to a clearing in the dead city, where Misato, Kensuke, and Asuka received yet another shock as they exited the car. One would figure that they would realize the sheer insanity of their situation and be prepared for anything that came next, but they didn't.

There was, for a lack of better terms, a giant moth resting in the clearing. Its wings were easily 100 meters across, and brightly colored. Sapphire blue compound eyes regarded the group, and the great moth chirped softly. This must have been the "Mothra" that the Shobijin were speaking of.

Speaking of the Shobijin, they were waiting for the group, perched on a large piece of rubble in front of Mothra. "You have arrived," they said in unison."

"It is timely, any sooner and you may have been lost," one said.

"Come now, we shall head to the island," the other said.

Before any of the three could ask what they meant by that, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by an orange aura. Kensuke had to suppress a yelp as they were lifted into the air, and Pen-Pen began to wildly flail about in Misato's arms. They floated over Mothra deposited onto the great moth's back. Its fur was soft and warm, and the feel of it relaxed Kensuke somewhat. Mrs. Saegusa and the robot were sitting up on Mothra's head, the Shobijin in-between them.

Chirping once more, Mothra flew into the sky with a flap of her tremendous wings, quickly leaving Old Tokyo behind. There was no sense of motion as they flew, other than a soft breeze. They were over the ocean now, and the Moon's light reflected across the waves. It was a beautiful experience, something that no one would forget. Finally gaining a semblance of courage, he let go of the fur and laid back, relaxed.

After some time they reached an island, its dark silhouette standing out amongst the silver-capped waves. Mothra swooped down low to the ground, and with a final chirp and flap of her wings, landed. An orange glow surrounded the group once more, and they were deposited onto the barren sands of the island.

There were people waiting for them, standing close to some military vehicle Kensuke and Misato had never seen before, which was really saying something. One was a tall Caucasian man in a trench coat of sorts, a katana slung along his back. The other two appeared to be Japanese, a man and a woman. Both were garbed in some type of uniform, although the man had armor covering his. To Misato's surprise, the fourth and final person there was Kaji, still dressed in his loose-fitting clothes.

"Glad you could make it," Kaji said, grinning as usual.

"I still don't know what's going on," Misato said. She sat down on the sand and ran a hand through her hair. "I could really use a beer right now."

"That alcoholic beverage will have to wait," the robot said. "We have much to discuss."

"Jet's right," Mrs. Saegusa. "This concerns all of you."

"Does that mean we're finally going to get answers?" Misato demanded.

The robot, apparently called Jet, nodded. "Take a seat, all of you," it said, gesturing to some chairs that had been fetched from the vehicle.

Misato and the others did as told. Pen-Pen warked in discontent and hopped into Misato's lap.

It was the older Japanese woman who spoke first. "Are any of you familiar with the multiverse theory?"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Kensuke said, wildly gesticulating. "Are you telling me you're from some alternate universe or something?"

The woman paused. "Yes," she said bluntly.

"Do you really expect us to believe that?" Misato asked, incredulous.

"You're under assault by giant alien monsters capable of producing fields that violates the core laws of physics, and you're having trouble believing we're from another universe?" the Japanese man said, equally incredulous.

"Fair enough," Misato grumbled.

It was the Caucasian man's turn to speak. "Our universes are very different. In recent terms, the main point of divergence appears to be in 1954."

"What happened in 1954?" Kensuke asked.

"A nuclear detonation on Lagos Island woke something up," the Caucasian man replied, setting a device of sorts on the ground. A holographic image formed above it, showing a massive creature rampaging through a city. It looked rather familiar..."

"Is that... Godzilla?" Misato asked.

"A specimen from a different species," the Japanese woman interjected. "It's kind of like the difference between an Allosaurus and a T-rex."

"This creature, which we called 'Gojira', was mutated and grievously burned by the test," the Caucasian man continued. "It lashed out like an injured animal, impervious to the weapons of the time. It ended up destroying Tokyo and killed 120,000 people."

"How did you stop it?" asked Misato.

"A scientist named Daisuke Serizawa, who was researching oxygen in hopes of improving ocean fertility for fishing, ended up accidentally creating a terrible weapon," the Japanese replied. "We call it the Oxygen Destroyer."

"Serizawa was horrified by his own creation, but realized what needed to be done," the Caucasian man said. "The day after Gojira's attack, he went to Tokyo Bay with the Oxygen Destroyer and dived to the bottom, right were the creature was resting. The weapon succeeded in killing it, but Serizawa stayed down in order to prevent any more from being built."

"What happened after that?" Misato asked.

"The bomb's fallout woke up something else," the Caucasian man replied. The hologram shifted, showing a familiar set of spines slicing through the waves off the shore of some tropical island. "Him."

"Godzilla," Kensuke said.

The man nodded. "Three times larger and far more powerful than Gojira. Naturally the governments of the world panicked. You know those nuclear tests in the Pacific, at Bikini Atoll?"

Kensuke nodded. "I memorized the yields of each bomb," he said.

The man raised an eyebrow before continuing. "They weren't tests. They were trying to kill him."

"Are you telling me that he's shrugged off a 15-megaton detonation?" Kensuke asked, practically salivating now.

The man nodded. "I was personally involved at the time."

"Hold on," Misato interjected. "That was in 1954, 61 years ago! You should be in adult diapers or dead!

"That brings us to the next topic of discussion," Mrs. Saegusa replied. "In 1957, Earth was invaded."

"By aliens?!" Kensuke exclaimed.

Mrs. Saegusa nodded. "They were called the Mysterians, a species nearly destroyed by their own weapons. They attacked Earth in desperation, hoping to gain territory and women to breed with. Armed with weapons far more advanced then our own, it appeared that victory would be total for them."

"How did you win?" Misato asked.

"_They_came to our aid," Mrs. Saegusa replied. The hologram showed old-time war footage more at home in a WWII documentary than an alien invasion. Tanks, jeeps, artillery, and soldiers were advancing on some dome in the mountains of Japan. The dome suddenly opened fire with a beam of sorts, cutting swaths through the forces on the ground. Squadrons of jet fighters fared no better. When all seemed lost, Godzilla suddenly appeared, accompanied by some spiky ankylosaur thing. Mothra flew overhead, a large pterosaur of sorts following shortly behind. The following battle was a massacre, the dome's beam had no effect on any of them, only serving to make them angrier. A couple of large war machines emerged from the ground, but were promptly destroyed. The ankylosaur reached the dome first, slamming its massive bulk into it. Godzilla also attacked, throwing a ruined war machine at it and following up with his atomic breath.

"The footage ends from there," Mrs. Saegusa said, the hologram shutting off. "The Mysterians surrendered after their military forces were crippled by Godzilla and the others. They began to intermingle with us, marrying humans and revolutionizing the tech industry. Products of that revolution include Jet over there and anti-aging drugs. In a way, they got what they were fighting for; a new home and a sustainable gene pool."

"They could interbreed with us?" Kensuke asked.

Mrs. Saegusa nodded. "I'm actually half-Mysterian. My human name is Miki Saegusa. My Mysterian name is Ikibrod'Terranusu."

"Holy shit," Misato said.

"Anyway," Miki continued, "Godzilla and the others proved themselves to be allies, not enemies. The Shobijin have poetically waxed them to be the Rulers of Earth, protectors of the world and its people. Earth has flourished like never before, although there are plenty of threats out there. We've actually been invaded several times since the Mysterians, and giant monsters are constantly being woken up or created by accidents. We created a facility on a remote island to study and contain the monsters. This island, actually. Of course, it's in the other universe."

"So, how did you get here?" Misato asked.

The other woman spoke again. "We were performing an experiment with wormholes called Dimension Tide," she said. "There was an accident, and Godzilla was sucked into the wormhole and deposited here, alongside several samples of kaiju tissue and the Zone Capsule."

Asuka's eyes narrowed. "Zone Caspule?" she said, finally breaking her long silence.

The woman nodded. "During one of the alien invasions in the 70's, an energy being of immense power bonded with a human and helped fight the aliens off. When the war was over, it placed itself into a capsule for storage."

"And then it wound up in this universe, saw how bad the situation was, and decided to bond with a human," the Caucasian man said.

"Shinji," Asuka stated, glancing back at the boy's sleeping form. "It bonded with Shinji."

The man nodded. "He actually knew about us, but kept quiet when we told him what was at stake."

"What do you mean by that?" Misato asked.

It was Kaji's turn to speak now. "Third Impact," he said.

"So? That's what we've been doing, fighting the Angels to prevent Third Impact," Misato replied.

Kaji shook his head. "Not the Angels' plans for Third Impact. I'm talking about SEELE's plan."

"SEELE?" Misato asked. "Who's that?"

"The rat bastards behind Second Impact," Kaji replied. "The Commander's in league with them, too. They've got roots everywhere, from NERV to the UN itself. They're trying to start Third Impact and become gods."

Misato was at a loss for words. Her memories raced back to that day in Antarctica. She clenched her cross hard enough to draw blood. "Are you telling me," she finally managed to say through gritted teeth, "that my father and three billion other people were killed by a bunch of assholes?"

Kaji nodded. "That's why we're going to make them pay."

"How?" Kensuke blurted out, shocked by what he just learned. "What can we do against a group that caused Second Impact?"

"You'll have our help," the Caucasian man said. "Commander Gordon, at your service."

"Shinichi Ozaki," the Japanese man said, "at your service.

"Miyuki Otonashi, at your service," the Japanese woman said.

"Jet Jaguar, at your service," the robot said.

"Miki Saegusa, at your service."

Kaji chuckled. "There's more where that came from. Where do you think I've been? I was helping them get reinforcements."

It was then that Misato and the others realized that the mountains in the distance weren't actually mountains. Three massive shapes moved through the shadows, looming over them. They recognized the center shape first, the fiery orange eyes were hard to forget. To its left was the spiky ankylosaur, and to its right was the huge pterosaur that had fought against the Mysterians.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Kaji said in a grandiose manner more at home in the circus than some deserted island, "may I formally introduce to you Godzilla, Rodan, Anguirus, and Mothra, the Rulers of Earth!"

Almost as if on cue, Godzilla roared. It was a challenge, they realized, to SEELE and anyone else who dared to harm the Earth under his watch.

Many miles away, Gendo Ikari sneezed.

**A/N: Things are starting to get really interesting, huh? You've got Godzilla, Mothra, Anguirus, Rodan, Zone Fighter, Asuka, Misato, Kensuke, Pen-Pen, Jet Jaguar, Kaji, Ozaki, Miki, Miyuki, and motherfuckin' Commander Gordon ganging up on Gendo and SEELE.**

**This will not end well.**

**I'm sorry it took a bit longer than usual to update, midterms take a big bite out of my time.**


	13. Monster Island Buddies

Shinji woke with a start.

He bolted upright, a hand covering where his wound should have been. He felt around, making sure that it was fully healed. He was still in his armor, strangely enough, although his helmet had been removed. It was then that he realized that he was no longer in Misato's apartment. Instead of the familiar floor, there was white sand. He ran a hand through it, almost as if to verify that it was real. Looking upwards, he saw there was nothing over his head but a blue sky occasionally marked with clouds. A gentle breeze caressed his face, and he could hear the sound of waves lapping against the shore nearby. For the first time in quite a while, he felt... tranquil.

_Ah good, you're awake, _Zone Fighter said in his head. _It's quite boring when I'm trapped in your head with no one to talk to._

_Where are we? _Shinji asked.

_I don't know, _Zone Fighter replied. _Remember, I can only see what you see. You must've wound up here while you were unconscious._

Shinji heard footsteps behind him, muted somewhat by the sand underfoot. He turned around to find Asuka standing before him. She was clad in a yellow sundress and devoid of any footwear, although his focus was more drawn to the look on her face. Several emotions were fighting for control there. Anger. Relief. Sadness. Remorse.

"You're awake," she said rather tersely.

Shinji realized that he had yet to change back into his civilian clothes. "Asuka, I-"

"I already know,_" _Asuka replied. Shinji gulped, there was only one meaning for that statement. She sighed softly before continuing. "Here," she said, holding his SDAT player up for him to see.

Shinji took the SDAT player, turning it over in his hands. Asuka turned about and walked away, her hair swaying in the breeze. It was surreal, seeing her like that. There was no typical name-calling or angry remarks. The fiery redhead had turned as cold as ice.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided to follow after her, making sure to keep his distance. A gut feeling told him it would be a rather unintelligent idea to be too close to her at the moment. He also switched back to civilian clothes in a flash of light, his energy having recharged overnight.

After a few minutes of walking they reached the others. Misato sat right at the shore, the waves gently lapping at her toes. Gordon and Miki were holding a conversation of sorts nearby, while Jet Jaguar appeared to be trying to teach Junior sign language. Pen-Pen was swimming rather close to Godzilla...

Shinji's eyes widened. _Godzilla? _he thought to himself. He blinked a few times in order to verify that he was still in reality. Indeed, Godzilla was resting rather close to the shore, with Kensuke and Dr. Otonashi standing on his shoulder. A couple of seagulls were perched on his dorsal spines, and the nuclear leviathan eyed him with a look of half-interest.

"Asuka," Shinji began with some trepidation, "what on Earth did I miss while I was unconscious?"

The pilot didn't answer, instead she hurried her pace and soon left him behind. Shinji decided not to pursue out of a sense of self-preservation. Instead, he decided to walk over to Gordon and Miki, who appeared to be in the latter stages of their discussion. The two took notice of him and smiled.

"How was your nap, Shinji?" Gordon asked.

"I'm so confused," the boy replied.

Gordon's face fell a bit. "We have a lot to talk about," he said. He gestured to a vehicle resting on the sand nearby. "Head inside, you'll want to sit down for this."

* * *

><p>Mothra hovered over the trees, flapping her wings in an almost casual manner. The force of each flap threatened to bowl Kaji over, even if he was a good half-mile away. The Shobijin seemed completely unaffected, however, and were continuing to sing another song of theirs in what sounded like Malayalam. They were perched on a nearby tree stump, having summoned Kaji over for some untold reason. Kaji recalled a distinct lack of vegetation when he had first visited the island.<p>

The great moth was glowing now, illuminating the surrounding area in a soft orange light. Glowing scales were falling from the Goddess, swirling through the air in a beautiful pattern. The light intensified, and Kaji had to cover his eyes to keep from glowing blind. The Shobijin were singing at full volume now, and Kaji could distinctly hear it, even over the howling winds created by Mothra's wings.

The light finally faded, and Kaji uncovered his eyes. Mothra was gone, a large multicolored egg in her place. The Shobijin had stopped singing and now turned to Kaji. The former triple agent couldn't help but feel a little unsettled by their complete unison.

"Mothra has begun her reincarnation," they said. "The Goddess is at her weakest at this state, she cannot protect us from those who mean us harm."

"So you want me to be your bodyguard while she... reincarnates," Kaji replied.

The twins nodded. Kaji rubbed the back of his head, wondering what to do next.

"Got anything for me to carry you in?" he asked.

* * *

><p>Misato continued to stare out into the sea, having done so for more than an hour. Never once did she loosen the grip on her cross. Occasionally she would dart her eyes over at the resting form of Godzilla, who Kensuke had taken an immense interest in. It was the only movement she allowed for now.<p>

There was the sound of footsteps muffled by sand, and then Asuka sat down by her side. The redheaded pilot took a sitting position very similar to the purple-haired woman and sighed.

"I still can't believe it," Asuka said. "All of those people were killed by a bunch of assholes who wanted to become gods. The commander's in on it, and they've pretty much got the world in their pockets."

Misato was silent for a moment, then she spoke. "Asuka, did I ever tell you about my father?" she asked softly.

"No," Asuka replied, somewhat uneasy. "Was he killed in Second Impact?"

"He was at the epicenter of Second Impact, Asuka," Misato replied. "My father paid more attention to his work than he did to me, but he nonetheless brought me along to Antarctica with him to do some research. I had no idea what he was studying at the time, but now I know." She sighed before continuing. "He was studying Adam. I never really thought that my father cared for me, but he gave up his life to save me by putting me in an emergency shelter just in time. I survived, but now I have a scar to show for it," she said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Asuka asked. "You've never bared yourself to me like this before."

"I dedicated my life to fighting the Angels in order to avenge my father and everyone else killed in Second Impact," replied Misato. "And now, I know that that all of that death and suffering was all because of men who lusted after things they never should've. I don't know what to do now, Asuka."

"We should make the bastards pay!" Asuka replied angrily. "We can't just let them get away with this!"

"What can we do?" Misato asked. "If what they're saying is true, these guys pretty much control the world and are completely anonymous. How could we ever hope to oppose them?"

"We have those alternate-universe guys on our side," Asuka replied. "There's also Godzilla and those other monsters."

"Don't forget Shinji," Misato added.

Asuka's face hardened. "I don't want to talk about him."

"Why? Because he 'took your kills'?" Misato asked.

"He lied to me! All this time, I thought he was just a timid baka, and it turns out that he was going out and fighting the Angels as some alien superhero!" Asuka replied. "He made me feel useless!"

"He also saved your life countless times, Asuka," Misato replied. "He almost died saving you, or were you too caught up in your own issues to notice that?"

Asuka fell quiet, thinking. Misato rose from the sand, brushing herself off. "You are right about SEELE, though. We should make those bastards pay," she added with a grin. She extended a hand. "Wanna do it together, or am I going to have to do the work all by myself?"

Asuka took the hand and rose as well. Together the two headed over to Gordon and Miki, who were in the process of telling Shinji something.

* * *

><p>It was noontime now, and everyone was present, save for the monsters. Godzilla had risen from the sea and taken Junior with him to go guard Mothra's egg. Anguirus and Rodan were on the other side of the island, exploring their temporary home that was both similar and different from their own one. The group was seated in or around the Super-X, preparing to discuss their plan to combat SEELE and their cronies. Shinji sat farthest from the group, thinking quietly to himself. He was still reeling from what he had been told about Second Impact, and Zone Fighter had gone quiet for some time now.<p>

Kaji was the first one to speak. "SEELE has multiple locations hidden around the world, usually in remote areas rendered uninhabited by Second Impact. The operations going on there are largely automated, so there aren't that many people actually aware of what's going on."

"What are they doing there?" Misato asked.

"It appears that they mass-producing Evangelions," Kaji replied.

"I thought they were already mass-producing Evangelions," Asuka replied. "Unit-02's the first in the production model."

Kaji shook his head. "That was a cover-up to divert resources. Unit-03 and Unit-04 are experimental, just like the ones before it. The ones that SEELE are building are completely identical to one another, and apparently won't need pilots when they are completed."

"How would than even work?" Misato asked.

Kaji shrugged. "I don't know all the details. I don't even know how many they're making."

"That isn't a lot to go on," Gordon replied. "Do you know where these facilities are?"

"Only some, and even then it's only the general area," replied Kaji. "You know, can't Miki use her psychic abilities or something in order to find out?"

Miki shook her head. "I need to know who and where the person is. Junior and Godzilla are the only exceptions because of my link."

"Okay then. Any other suggestions as to how we can find these Evangelions?" Kaji asked.

"Maybe Godzilla could sniff them out," Misato suggested. "He seems to know whenever an Angel's attacking."

"That will not work," the Shobijin replied. "Godzilla and his fellow Rulers of Earth can only detect active threats, the Goddess included. They cannot be active at this moment, otherwise Godzilla would have found them already and destroyed them."

"Shit," Kaji muttered, running a hand through his hair. "So much for the easy way of finding them."

"Not necessarily," Jet interjected. "I have a possible solution, albeit a rather dangerous one."

"Which is...?" Misato asked.

"We break into NERV Headquarters," Jet replied.

* * *

><p><em>Commander Ikari's Office<em>

"What has Section II found?" Gendo inquired, his hands back into their usual position.

"Not much," Fuyutsuki replied. "They have searched the entire apartment from top to bottom. It appears that Major Katsuragi and the Second Child were kept completely unaware of the Third's secret identity."

"Nothing else?" asked Gendo.

Fuyutsuki produced a thin journal from his pocket. "Only this."

Gendo took the journal and opened it, rapidly flipping through its pages. It consisted of illustrations of monstrous creatures, occasionally followed by descriptions of them. Of particular interest to him were illustrations of LSO-01 and that red dinosaur creature that had attacked the Pacific Fleet at Tokyo Harbor. "It appears that the Third Child knows more than he let on," he commented. "Have we located him or the others yet?"

Fuyutsuki shook his head. "They've completely disappeared. We've checked the airports and harbors across the nation. We have no idea where they could be at the moment. The only possible lead we may have is a satellite blackout over the Pacific Ocean."

Gendo's eyebrows perked at the mention of the Pacific. "Do you recall that island that LSO-01 made a beeline to after the battle with the Third Angel?"

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Chichi-jima."

"Have the UN focus their searches there. I have a suspicion as to where our missing persons may be," Gendo ordered.

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Yes, commander."

* * *

><p><em>Mount Asama<em>

Deep within the volcano, withstanding the crushing pressure and heat of thousands of tons of magma, was an embryo. At first glance, one might have mistaken it for a human embryo, the resemblance was most striking. However, the resemblance was nothing more than a deception. This embryo was that of the Eighth Angel, Sandalphon.

And already it was beginning to stir.


	14. Conflict at Mount Asama! Break-in at HQ!

_Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Archipelago_

"Break into NERV?" Misato asked, incredulous.

"That is correct," Jet replied. "Gendo Ikari is cooperating with SEELE. I have reason to suspect that he may have information regarding the group and their plans stored in either his office or the MAGI computers. If we could get access to one or both of them, we may be able to find out where they are building the Mass-Produced Evangelions."

"And thwart their plans," Misato finished.

Jet nodded.

"How the hell are you going to break into NERV HQ?" Asuka demanded. "It's the most heavily guarded place on Earth!"

Gordon snorted. "It might be well-guarded by your standards, but they have nothing on us. Do you really think they could keep out a team composed of a mutant, a robot, and a psychic?"

"Don't forget a spy who has a good grasp of the situation at hand," Kaji added.

"If that's the case, I'm going with you," Misato said. "I know my way around the base, I could help you avoid raising any alarms."

"If I recall correctly, you get lost all the time," Kaji replied with a chuckle.

Misato merely grunted in response, crossing her arms angrily.

"I think Misato has a point," Miki said. "She probably still has access codes to some of the more restricted sections."

"What about me?" Asuka asked.

Gordon shook his head. "You would only get in danger on this mission. You, Shinji, Dr. Otonashi, and Kensuke will stay on the island."

Asuka grumbled angrily, but otherwise said nothing. Shinji remained quiet, having barely listened to the conversation. Noticing his new friend's distress, Junior strolled up to the boy and gave him a slobbering kiss.

Gordon chuckled, then his face hardened. "All right then, let's move out."

* * *

><p><em>Planet X, (G)Earth<em>

"What's the point of _this _meeting?" X whined, leaning back in his chair lazily.

"This particular self-aware Kilaakian individual must agree with the self-aware male cybernetically-augmented human-subspecies individual," the Kilaakian leader said in a distinctly female monotone. "There appears to be no reason for the self-aware male Simeon in-"

"Must you always use terms like that?!" the Nebulan leader asked in exasperation. "It is completely confusing. My carapace aches when I listen to you for too long."

The Kilaakian leader's face showed no sign of emotion, there were no muscles in its finely sculpted shell to do so with. "Non-human contaminated self-aware Kilaakian individuals do not see the point in having names. If the self-aware Nebulan male in-"

"Enough!" Rogar barked angrily, slamming a hairy fist into the table. A spiderweb of cracks appeared where the blow landed, silencing any further arguments amongst the assorted alien leaders. Straightening his posture, Rogar continued. "This meeting concerns a covert organization on the target world. It is called 'SEELE'."

"What about it?" X asked impatiently.

"This organization, according to the information we have managed to liberate from their communications networks, has the same goal in mind as we do," Rogar replied. "That is, human extinction."

"Why would they want the extinction of their own species?" the Nebulan leader asked.

"They have some deluded belief that they could become gods in the process," replied Rogar. "Unfortunately, we have yet to decrypt their most important documents, the ones concerning _how_ they intend to bring about the end of the human race."

"Why are you so concerned about a group of crazies?" X inquired.

"These 'crazies' are an ancient conspiracy that have directed the human race for millennia," the Simeon leader replied. "They practically have the world in their pocket, and they seem to have complete confidence in their plan."

"What are you suggesting?" the Nebulan leader asked.

Rogar grinned. "They're trying to do what we're doing. Why not help them along?"

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

Breaking into Headquarters, Misato found, wasn't as difficult as it seemed.

They had flown the Super X close to the ground for the entire flight, arriving at Japan two hours later. By then, they had smoothed out any wrinkles in their plan, and soon disembarked from the Super X, which had been secreted away in the woods surrounding the city. Upon arriving at the entrance to Headquarters, it was a simple matter for Jet to use a connection to the security systems to put the cameras on a loop, for Miki to pull some Jedi mind trick on suspicious guards, and for Misato to use the passcode in order to open the door. Rinse, wash, and repeat.

They were already in the bowels of Headquarters. Gordon, Ozaki, and Miki had expressed amazement at the sight of the Geofront, causing Misato to grin inwardly. It appeared that these people out of a science fiction movie didn't have _all _of the neat stuff. She brushed the thought out of her head, there was too much at stake for such childish thoughts.

Miki was under some sort of strain now, presumably from constantly deflecting the countless personnel in the halls of HQ. Beads of sweat were rolling down her face, and occasionally her hands would shake. Misato wondered how much longer they could keep from being discovered.

Fortunately, they were soon at one of the main MAGI terminals, located deep within the base. Jet promptly pulled a plug out of his head and attached it to the terminal, suddenly becoming very still. For such a vital operation, it was rather anticlimactic.

"How long will it take for him to secure the information?" Misato asked.

Gordon shrugged. "Could take minutes, could take hours."

"In the meantime, it's time to pay Commander Ikari's office visit," Ozaki said.

* * *

><p><em>Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Archipelago<em>

"Got any threes?" Kensuke asked.

"Go fish," Shinji replied.

Otonashi sighed. It had been more than two hours since Gordon and the others had gone in the Super-X, leaving her on a deserted island with nothing to do but watch three teenagers play card games. Anguirus was nearby, napping by the beach. Rodan had disappeared into the interior of the island, presumably to go visit Godzilla, who was guarding Mothra's egg. The Shobijin were in a box by her side, but had fallen quiet. Junior and Pen-Pen were swimming nearby, racing each other through the warm shallows.

It was a rather quiet and peaceful day on the island, and she hated it.

The only source of amusement she had was the tension between Shinji and that Asuka girl. The two clearly liked each other, but there were self-made obstacles in their way. It was only a matter of time, Otonashi decided, before something interesting happened.

She would have no idea just how soon it would be.

* * *

><p><em>Commander Ikari's Office<em>

"Have we had any luck in finding Major Katsuragi and the Children?" Gendo asked.

Fuyutuki shook his head. "Satellite images are still very fuzzy over the Ogasawara Archipelago, we would have to actually send agents there in order to verify whether or not they are there."

Gendo sighed. "If that's the case, send them."

Fuyutsuki nodded and left the room. Shortly thereafter, the intercom buzzed to life. "Commander, someone's hacking into the MAGI!" Ritsuko said frantically.

"Who?" Gendo demanded. "Can you block them out of the system?"

"It's no good, sir," Ritsuko replied. "We have no idea where they're coming from, and they've bypassed all of our firewalls!"

_So it has come to this, _Gendo thought to himself. It was a possibility that he had given a great deal of consideration to. Either SEELE, the UN, or some third party was attempting to gain access to his plans by mistakenly hacking into the MAGI. It was likely that armed men would be barging into the office at any moment, ready to capture and interrogate him.

There would be no chance of that. Rising from his chair, he silently slipped his pistol into its holster and calmly collected all of his documents. It was time for him to go to Plan B of the Scenario.

* * *

><p>Several armed men did in fact enter the Commander's office, weapons raised. To their disappointment, however, the Commander was nowhere to be found. And when they promptly tore his office apart in an attempt to find anything regarding his plans for Third Impact, they found nothing.<p>

"Shit," Kaji said, running a hand through his hair. "He must've known we were coming."

Alarms blared, flooding the halls with red light.

"It looks like everyone else knows now, too," Gordon said.

* * *

><p><em>Chichi-jima<em>

Anguirus howled.

The titanic angilasaur rose from the ground, his footsteps shaking nearby trees in the process. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to a point on the horizon. The familiar tingling sensation was in the back of his head, the one that had guided him for countless millennia. Something was once more threatening the balance of the world.

The others could sense it, too. Rodan whizzed overhead, a sonic boom sounding in his wake as he made a beeline to the source of the danger. Godzilla roared, smashing through the trees and nearly crushing the unfortunate quartet on the ground.

"What the hell is going on?!" Kensuke exclaimed, quickly backing away from the agitated leviathan.

"Something's not right," Ontonashi muttered. "They can sense it."

Anguirus and Godzilla appeared to be communicating via facial signals and brief vocalizations. Finally, Anguirus turned away and entered the sea, furiously paddling after Rodan. Godzilla turned back to the forest, his movements much more relaxed now.

"It appears that Godzilla's staying behind to guard the egg," Ontonashi said.

"Should I go after them?" Shinji asked.

Ontonashi shook her head. "Anguirus and Rodan are two of the toughest monsters on the planet. I'm sure they have a handle on the situation."

Shinji sighed and sat back down. Unbeknownst to either him, Kensuke, or Dr. Ontonashi, Asuka produced a flask she had secreted away from the Super-X, hoping to relieve some of the stress of the past day or two. Uncapping it, she eyed it warily, then took a hearty swig.

"Damn," she said. "It's nothing but water." Nonetheless, she drained the rest of the flask and casually dropped it on the sand. Wiping her mouth, she rejoined the others.

Had Asuka been literate in Mysterian, the de facto international language since the 1970's, she would have realized that the flask read "CAUTION: G-CELL SERUM, AUTHORIZED USE ONLY."

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

Kozou Fuyutsuki was not having a good day.

First, he had spent the first few hours of the morning (as well as the previous night) going over reports regarding the search for the missing Children and Major Katsuragi. It was not easy work, and he was already feeling exhausted when suddenly alarms began to blare.

"Sub-Commander, it appears that there are intruders in HQ! The MAGI have been hacked into!" Hyuga exclaimed.

"Where are they?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"They're moving away from Commander Ikari's office and heading for Exit 27-B!" Hyuga replied.

"Put them on the main feed," Fuyutsuki ordered.

"Yes, sir."

The feed came up, showing two men quickly making their way through the halls of HQ with expert precision. One was a young Japanese man with spiky black hair, while the other was a tall and burly Caucasian man dressed in a trench coat and a katana over his back. The third man, however, was immediately recognizable as Ryouji Kaji.

"What's Kaji doing with them?" Maya asked.

"Have Section II apprehend them ASAP," Fuyutsuki said. "Try to capture them alive."

"Section II is on its way," Aoba replied.

Sure enough, several armed agents were already in sight, weapons raised. Then something unexpected happened. The Japanese man suddenly sprang forward with unbelievable speed, weaving amongst the agents and striking them with well-placed blows that barely registered on the camera. In 3 seconds over half a dozen Section II agents were down. More agents came, but met the same fate. Anyone missed by the Japanese man was quickly dealt with by the burly Caucasian, who didn't even bother to bring out his katana.

"Shut the exit door!" Fuyutsuki barked.

"Yes, sir," replied Hyuga.

The door slammed shut right before the two men could get past it. Fuyutsuki grinned, there was no way they could escape now. Then, to his utter astonishment and horror, the Japanese man actually pried the doors open with his bare hands. He blinked a few times, trying to make sure he wasn't in some surreal dream. When he stopped, the two men were gone.

"The targets... have disappeared," Hyuga said, clearly in awe.

Fuyutsuki sighed and rubbed his temples wearily. _Can this day get any worse? _he wondered

"Sir, a Blue Pattern has been detected at Mount Asama!" Maya exclaimed.

_Yes, yes it can, _he told himself, regretting his words.

* * *

><p><em>Mount Asama<em>

The top of the volcano disappeared in a massive explosion of rock and ash, peppering the countryside with rubble. A massive shape, easily twice the size of an Evangelion, began to crawl out of the crater it made, dragging itself along with two long and muscular arms. Its body shape as reminiscent of that of prehistoric sea creatures during the Cambrian period of Earth's history, albeit on a much larger scale. Its flesh was armored and segmented, and a fin-like tail dragged behind it as it slowly moved down the slope, lava trickling around its body.

Sandalphon, the Eighth Angel, was on the move.

Its appearance had not gone unnoticed. Already VTOLs were surrounding it, peppering it with artillery shells and missiles. The attacks were futile, however, they simply glanced off of its AT-field. Even without an AT-field it would have barely noticed the attacks, its thick armor was ample protection.

The Angel chose to ignore the VTOLs, instead focusing on reaching its destination: the Geofront. It continued clambering down the slope, leaving a furrow in the ground behind it. The VTOLs eventually expended their ammunition and retreated, a counterattack was already being planned. Columns of armor were being deployed from their bases, the tank crews fully knowing that it was simply a stalling action.

Fortunately for them, however, something would get there first.

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

"What's the status of the Evangelion Units?" Fuyutsuki asked. His eyes were grim as he surveyed the video feed, watching as the Angel sluggishly moved down the slope.

"None of them are in operation order, sir," Aoba replied.

_Even if they were working, we have no available pilots with experience! _Fuyutsuki grumbled mentally.

Suddenly, a flashing light appeared on the holographic map. "Sir, a large unidentified object is making its way towards the Angel!" Maya exclaimed. "It's a pattern orange, just like Godzilla!"

"What is its estimated time of arrival?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Approximately 15 seconds, this thing's _fast!_" Hyuga replied.

The object in question was visible now. At first glance, Fuyutsuki thought it was an aircraft, it had large wings and an aerodynamic body. It even had a contrail following behind it.

And then he realized that the wings were flapping.

The Angel took notice of it as well, raising its armored head. It was just in time for the large bulk to slam into it at more than twice the speed of sound, shaking the earth for miles around and sending the Angel flying back a good half-kilometer. A good portion of the mountain was obscured in smoke now, hiding both the Angel and the new combatant from sight. A flap of tremendous wings, however, dispelled the clouds and gave them their first good look at the new attacker.

It was tall, rivaling Godzilla himself in height. Its body was strikingly similar to a pterosaur, except on a much larger scale. Its skin was as red as blood, except for the light-brown scales that armored its torso and the front of its legs. The crest of the creature was as black as coal, forming a regal crown that matched its long beak. Bright blue eyes regarded the Angel with contempt as flapped its wings once more, taking to the air with a cackle.

Rodan, Lord of the Skies, had come.

* * *

><p><em>Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Archipelago<em>

Storm clouds were brewing in the distance now, promising rain. Ontonashi sighed, wishing that she had took some raincoats from the Super-X before it had left for NERV HQ. Junior and Pen-Pen took notice of the clouds as well, the two ceased their playful swimming and began to make their way to the trees, seeking shelter against the coming downpour.

"Come on, let's go find some place we can stay dry," she told the others.

"Why on Earth didn't we bring umbrellas?" Asuka lamented loudly. She roughly hoisted Shinji to his feet. "Come on, baka, I don't have all day!"

The red-haired pilot, Ontonashi noted, seemed a bit more aggressive than usual. Her musings as to what could behind it, however, were interrupted when Godzilla reappeared, growling angrily and glaring at the coming clouds.

"What's gotten into the overgrown lizard _this _time?!" Asuka demanded.

Before anyone could answer her, the clouds suddenly overtook them. A torrential downpour fell from the sky, drenching the group in seconds. However, something else also began to fall from the sky. Golden spores began to gently drift downwards, settling onto the ground and disappearing in a manner in contrast to the violent storm raging about it.

"Wow," Kensuke said.

"Oh shit!" Ontonashi, Shinji, and Zone Fighter said at the same time.

"Everyone, get away from the spores!" Ontonashi shouted. "Run!"

Asuka and Kensuke did as told, sprinting away from the falling spores, Junior tailing behind them with Pen-Pen perched on his back. Shinji, however, didn't budge. Instead, he slammed his palms together, fully knowing what was coming. In a flash of light, he was at giant size once more. Godzilla took notice and made a gesture of approval.

Ontonashi decided to follow her own advice and followed after them, eventually catching up after a few minutes. The rain continued to beat down upon the ground, soaking the soil and littering it with large puddles.

"What the hell is going on?" Asuka panted.

"It must've regenerated from one of the missing tissue samples," Ontonashi panted back. "We fought this thing before in 1989."

"Fought what?" Kensuke asked.

As if on cue, the ground close to where Shinji and Godzilla were exploded upwards, sending dirt, rocks, and uprooted trees flying everywhere. Fissures appeared in the earth, and a massive shape emerged from the ground, its body silhouetted briefly by a flash of lightning. It was absolutely titanic, more than twice as tall as Godzilla himself. The main body of the monster was almost like a swollen sphere that began to taper towards the top until it met with the creature's crocodilian head. Dozens of tendrils rose alongside it, some tipped with bone spikes and others with miniature mouths lined with needle teeth. Sickly yellow eyes glared at Godzilla and Shinji, and the beast opened its titanic jaws. A ghastly wail echoed across the island, chilling the group to the bone.

"Biollante," Ontonashi replied.

* * *

><p><em>Mount Asama<em>

Rodan rushed at the Angel, quickly covering the ground between the two combatants. He careened upwards just in time to avoid a swipe from Sandalphon's arm, then swung back down, slamming both of his feet into its back. The Angel was forced into the ground with a terrible crash, but was otherwise unharmed. It heaved upwards, shaking Rodan off of it. Its eyes glowed, then fired a beam that barely missed the massive pterosaur. In response, Rodan landed in front of it and began to rapidly flap his wings, quickly stirring up a hurricane-level gale that forced the Angel back. He then followed up by gouging one of its eyes out with his beak, spraying LCL everywhere. The Angel shrieked in pain and swatted at Rodan, catching him in the torso and sending him back.

Rodan clucked angrily. The Angel's armor was far too thick for him to breach within the time they had before it could reach the Geofront. Fortunately, he had an idea.

The Angel lunged forward, trying to crush him in its arms. Rodan dodged the clumsy attack and flew upwards, slamming back down into the Angel again. Before it could throw him off, however, he took its arm in his talons. He flapped his wings rapidly now, lifting the Angel into the air in an impressive show of strength. At a few kilometers into the air he dropped it, watching as it slowly fell to the ground below with a great crash. When the smoke cleared, the Angel was lying still in a fairly large crater.

Rodan descended, landing a good distance away from the crater, preferring to remain out of reach in case it proved not to be dead. It didn't protect him, however, from the sudden energy blast that struck him in the chest. Rodan tumbled backwards, crying out in pain. Sandalphon emerged from the crater, battered but not broken from its kilometers-high drop. Before the Angel could strike, however, the ground trembled beneath it, then exploded outwards. A humongous frame smashed into it, knocking it away from Rodan in the process. The creature shook the soil from its body, then released a strange howl. Before the Angel could recover from the attack, the beast charged into once more.

Anguirus had joined the fight.

* * *

><p><em>Chichi-jima<em>

Biollante lashed out with her tendrils, fully intent on skewering the two who opposed her. Shinji dodged the attack, taking to the sky. Godzilla wasn't so lucky, however, and roared furiously as his torso was harpooned, the tendrils adding to his injuries by releasing green corrosive blood. Grasping the tendrils, he ripped them out and paid back the favor with an atomic ray to the face. Biollante wailed as the beam burned and blasted away large chunks of her flesh, but the wounds quickly sealed up.

_Zone Fighter, where are its weak spots? _Shinji asked.

_That red orb in its stomach, _the alien replied.

_Like an Angel? _Shinji inquired.

_Yes,_ he replied.

Shinji charged his Proton Beam and fired, blasting away a good portion of the orb. Biollante cried out in agony, then focused her glare at him. She lunged forward with several more tendrils, murder plain and clear in her eyes. Shinji dodged the initial attacks, but was promptly swatted out of the sky and fell back to the ground with a _boom_. Just as he began to rise, he was knocked back down by more tendrils. They began to coil about him, intent on crushing the life out of his body. To make matters worse, his belt light was beginning to blink yellow.

Biollante was so focused on Shinji, however, that she failed to take into account a very pissed off Godzilla. An atomic ray lashed out, burning away her tendrils with ease. As she cried out, the nuclear saurian charged at her, slamming his massive bulk into hers. Biollante toppled, her trunk-like legs being forcibly pulled out of the soil in the process. She countered Godzilla's attack with her own, electricity crackling about her head as she spewed radioactive sap from her titanic maw. Godzilla shrieked in pain as the sap corroded away at his hide, sparks flying where particularly radioactive clumps detonated against him.

Before she could press her brief advantage, several Meteor Missiles jabbed into her core, detonating shortly afterwards with great force. The orb's light began to fade, great gouts of green blood pouring forth from her horrific wounds. Shinji rushed forwards, firing another Proton Beam that aggravated the wounds even as they tried to heal.

To make matters worse for the plant-creature, Godzilla's wounds had healed. Roaring, he rushed forward, taking her head in his hands. With a great heave, he lifted her into the air and flung her over his shoulder. Biollante smashed into the ocean, a titanic geyser of water rising from the impact. Godzilla followed the attack with a blast of his atomic ray. Then another. And another. He was beam spamming now, refusing to let up with his attacks. Biollante's flesh was scorched and torn with each attack, staining the ocean with her blood. She began to burn now, the flames resisting the storm's attempts to douse them out. Finally, the light disappeared from her orb completely.

The battle was over. It was quiet now on the island, save for the dying patterings of rain and the crackling of flames. Godzilla turned from Biollante's corpse and once more began to make his way inland. Shinji stood, watching Biollante burn, then finally disappeared in a flash of light.

Watching from a distance, Ontonashi breathed a sigh of relief. That relief disappeared, however, when she turned and saw that Asuka was missing.

"Shit," she muttered.

* * *

><p><em>Mount Asama<em>

Sandalphon screeched, wildly firing off another blast that went wide as Anguirus tackled into it. The titanic angilasaur gave the Angel no reprieve, swiping at it with his massive paws. He may have lacked the agility and speed of Rodan, but he made up for it with endurance and strength that rivaled Godzilla himself. He used that strength, pushing the Angel uphill and cracking its armor with his blows. When it swiped at him with one of its arms, he responded by taking the offending limb in his jaws and wrenching it free of its socket.

The Angel howled, LCL spraying out of its wound. It redoubled its efforts, frantically trying to shake Anguirus off of it. It fired a blast that struck home, hitting the angilasaur in the face. While he was distracted by that, Sandalphon pushed him off and fired another beam, striking him in the chest. While it failed to outright break his thick hide, it was quite painful for Anguirus, forcing him to backpedal some more.

Before the Angel could press its opening, however, Rodan swooped in and floored it with a double kick moving at a few hundred miles an hour. Then, in an almost comical fashion, he began to smash his beak into its head like a woodpecker, chipping off hunks of its armor in the process. The Angel managed to shake him off, only to receive another tackle from Anguirus.

Rodan was beginning to get frustrated. The Angel's armor was absurdly hard to penetrate, it could be much longer before they actually _killed _the thing. Fortunately, help was on the way in the form of the Super-X, which provided another surprise for those at NERV watching the battle. It opened fire with its twin cryo-lasers and a salvo of missiles, peppering the Angel in explosions. Parts of Sandalphon's body were frozen in places, ice breaking off of its massive frame.

The distraction gave Rodan the opportunity to use his weapon of last resort.

* * *

><p>"What's it doing?" Fuyutsuki asked.<p>

Before the bridge crew's eyes, the pterosaur creature began to inhale deeply, the sheer force of it distorting the smoke that hung in the air. It stood before the Angel, chest held proud.

"Sir, the MAGI are detecting a massive flare-up of energy coming from the creature," Maya stated.

Before anyone could ask what that meant, they got their answer. A stream of purple flame blasted forth from the creature's throat, striking the Angel and driving it back. The beam stopped briefly as the pterosaur inhaled again, then started once more. A ghastly scream of pain came from the Angel as it was roasted by the beam.

The attack ceased. The Angel was still alive, if only barely. Its armor was slagged and molten in places, and steam rose from it in a great cloud. Fuyustuki was briefly reminded of a cooked lobster.

The flying tank that came out of nowhere (which Fuyustuki strongly suspected was related somehow to the men who broke into headquarters) open fired once more with its twin freezing beams, aiming for the molten areas of the Angel's armor. The attack was far more devastating than before, as the sudden drop in temperature caused thermal shock, which promptly caused the armor to shatter.

The spiky quadruped that had joined the fight against the Angel pressed its advantage and charged once more, smashing away great hunks of armor and flesh with its paws. Eventually the core was exposed, larger than previous ones-

-and was promptly used as a supersonic landing pad by the pterosaur.

"Blue Pattern... terminated," Hyuga stated in awe.

The pterosaur cackled triumphantly, then took off into the sky with great speed, soon disappearing from sight. The spiky quadruped also began to leave the battlefield, tunneling into the ground with surprising speed. The only one left was the flying tank. Already it was beginning to move away, but still slowly enough for it to remain in sight.

"Have the UN try and intercept that aircraft," Fuyutsuki ordered.

"Yes, sir," Aoba replied.

* * *

><p><em>Chichi-jima<em>

Kensuke was feeling rather left out the loop.

For the past half-hour he had been following Ontonashi, trying to help the scientist find something important. However, he was not told what the object looked like, nor did he know what was so important about it. He suspected it had something to do with Asuka's disappearance.

Suddenly, Ontonashi stopped. The scientist stooped down, picking up a flask of sorts from the sand. She brushed off the sand and read the label, then cursed softly under her breath.

"What's going on?" Kensuke asked.

"This is a G-Cell serum," Ontonashi answered. "Did you drink this?"

Kensuke shook his head. "G-Cell serum? As in, Godzilla cells?"

"Yes," Ontonashi replied. "Miki takes a weekly dose of the stuff in order to maintain her emphatic link with Godzilla. There's a thin balance with it, hence its rare usage. Either your immune system eventually destroys the cells, or the cells kill you. Thankfully, this is a really weak dose, so I'm pretty sure Asuka won't die from it."

"What will happen to her?" Kensuke asked, starting to feel a little panicked.

"She'll have enhanced senses, strength, and speed, amongst other things," replied Ontonashi. "The more concerning thing, however, is the effects it has on your hormone levels. Miki and Ozaki are used to it, but Asuka isn't. She'll be incredibly aggressive, as well as..." Ontonashi trailed off, a clear look of discomfort on her face.

"As well as what?" Kensuke asked, now feeling _very_ panicked.

"Do you happen to see how she was looking at Shinji?" Ontonashi asked.

Kensuke suddenly recalled what she was talking about. The red-haired pilot had frequently stared at Shinji with an almost... hungry look in her eyes.

"Uh-oh," Kensuke said.

* * *

><p>Shinji stretched, trying to get rid of some of the post-fight stiffness. Zone Fighter told him that it would be another ten minutes before all of the bruises went away. Compared to how badly his fight against the Seventh Angel went, he felt that it was altogether a success.<p>

That was when something tackled him to the ground, frantically tearing at his clothes. He struggled against his attacker, and eventually managed to shake it off. Shinji rose, and received a rapid series of surpasses as he got a look at his unexpected assailant.

Firstly, it was Asuka. Secondly, Asuka was half-naked. Finally, and most shockingly, her eyes were a fiery orange instead of sky-blue.

"You are strong, _mate,_" she purred, a sound that sent both a chill down his spine and a growing warmth in his heart. "That makes you all the more desirable."

With that, she lunged.


	15. New Alliances Made!

_Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Archipelago_

Shinji managed to duck out of the way, if only barely. Asuka was quick to correct her course, however, and managed to tackle him from behind with more force than expected. They both hit the ground, Shinji getting the air knocked out of his lungs in the process. Before he could react, he felt frighteningly strong hands take hold of his ankles and spin him through the air until he finally landed on his back.

_Shinji, this is very bad, _Zone Fighter said in his head. _I think she might have gotten her hands on a G-Cell serum._

Before Shinji could ask what a G-Cell serum was, Asuka was on him, pressing her knees into his chest and taking his wrists into his hands. "You have fought well, my mate," she said, her orange eyes boring holes into his own. "It is time to truly make you mine."

"Asuka, this isn't you! What are you do-" Shinji began, only to be silenced by his first kiss. It was passionate, raw, and _wrong._

"Don't attempt to delude yourself, mate," Asuka hissed, grinning maniacally. Shinji could have sworn he saw sharper teeth than usual. "I have seen your desire for me for months! I can smell it now, too."

Shinji was beginning to succumb, due in part to the euphoria of being kissed by Asuka, and due in part to the fact that she was clad only in her skirt and a bra while straddling him. When she moved to kiss him again, he went with it, enjoying the fell of her lips on his. Thankfully for him, his mental companion lacked any of the weaknesses of the flesh.

_SHINJI! SNAP OUT OF IT! _Zone Fighter practically screamed, trying to jolt him out of his hormone-based stupor.

It worked. Eyes widening with realization of what was happening, Shinji managed to push her off with all of his strength. He rose before she could, bringing his hands together. "ZONE DOBORU FIGHTU!" he exclaimed.

In a flash, he was in his fighting form once more, albeit at human size. Rising from the ground, Asuka eyed this new development hungrily. She lunged again, but he was too fast for her now. Raising his arms, he sprayed out Subduing Mist from his wrists, encompassing Asuka in a cloud of tranquilizers. To his shock, however, she staggered but did not fall.

_I must say, that's really impressive, _Zone Fighter commented. _That mist is strong enough to knock out an elephant._

Asuka charged, taking Shinji's wrists into her hands. She tightened her grip, and with horror Shinji noted that the armor on his wrists was _buckling. _With a heave he managed to break her grip and flew upwards, wanting to stay out of arm's reach. He stopped at about ten feet up and looked back down at Asuka. The red-haired pilot was beginning to look _very _frustrated now, and Shinji confirmed that her teeth had indeed become sharper.

_What am I going to do? I don't want to hurt her, but she won't calm down! _Shinji thought in exasperation. _Isn't there stun setting on the Proton Beam or something?_

_Unfortunately, no, _Zone Fighter replied. _At its lowest setting, you would simply give her some second-degree burns._

It was then that Ontonashi and Kensuke appeared in the clearing, panting from their arduous run through the jungle. "Asuka, stop!" Ontonashi said, carefully inching closer to the redhead. "You've accidentally given yourself a G-Cell serum, you're not thinking clearly at the moment."

Asuka turned her glare towards the middle-aged scientist. "You're just trying to steal my mate away, aren't you?" she accused angrily, a low growl escaping her throat. "And you," she said, turning to Kensuke, "you just want my desires to be shifted to you! There's no way I'm mating with a beta male!"`

"And there's no way I'd want to be with the Red Devil herself!" Kensuke retorted.

That proved to be a bad idea. Before anyone could react she lunged forward, clamping a hand around the unfortunate otaku's throat and lifting him clear off of his feet. Ontonashi ran to try to break the two apart, but received a jab to the solar plexus as a result. Fortunately, Shinji had more success when he came down to help. Kensuke dropped to the ground, gasping and clutching his bruised throat.

Shinji grappled with the struggling Asuka, who now appeared to be incapable of intelligible communication as she thrashed about angrily like a rabid animal. Thankfully, it seemed that Shinji was stronger than her, and he managed to secure her arms in a bear hug.

"Asuka, calm down!" Shinji shouted, trying and failing to keep her still. He them shifted his approach, using a more soothing and calming tone. It was almost like a parent calming down a frightened child.

His voice, coupled with the lingering affects of the Subduing Mist, finally had an effect on the redhaired pilot. Her struggles became less violent, and eventually she fell asleep, resting her head against his shoulder. Gently, he placed her down on the ground, taking care to make sure her head didn't land on anything hard. Once that task was finished, he turned to face Ontonashi, who was just now recovering from the jab to her solar plexus.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" he asked softly, making sure not to wake Asuka.

"G-Cell serum," Ontonashi wheezed.

_To borrow a human colloquialism, "called it", _Zone Fighter commented.

"What do we do now?" Kensuke asked weakly, rubbing his throat.

"It depends on how long the serum will stay in her system," Ontonashi replied, her voice less wheezy now. "It could take hours, or it could take days. In the meantime, let's get her dressed and take her down to the beach."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Shinji said.

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later<em>

The sun had set on the island, shrouding it in darkness. Shinji sat by the sleeping form of Asuka, keeping watch over the red-haired pilot. It had taken a while to find her shirt and shoes, but eventually Junior was able to sniff them out. Ontonashi and Kensuke sat further down on the beach, engaged in some conversation regarding Godzilla and the other monsters. The scientist had produced a red liquid she called "soma" from a crate left by the Super-X and commanded Kensuke to drink it. The effects were striking, his throat was fully healed in a matter of minutes. Junior and Pen-Pen had resumed their swimming activities, although they kept some distance from the corpse of Biollante.

Shinji took in deep breath, enjoying the peace and quiet of the island. After the hectic insanity of the day, all he wanted to do now was rest.

That was when the form of the Super-X appeared over the horizon, illuminating the area with its headlights. To everyone's surprise, it was accompanied by two UN VTOLs. The three vehicles were soon at the island and set down nearby, kicking up sand in the process. Shinji was on his feet now, heading down towards the vehicles, Ontonashi and Kensuke hot on his heels. Junior and Pen-Pen, startled by the sudden appearance of the vehicles, decided to keep their distance.

The hatch of the Super-X popped open and Ozaki crawled out, followed by Misato and some man in an army uniform. Shinji ran up to them, feeling very confused.

"What's going on?" he asked Misato.

The man in the uniform answered before she could. "This vehicle was apprehended by UN authorities after the defeat of the Eighth Angel," he answered in a rather gruff tone. "Since then, your pals here have told us everything about the EDF and the origins of LSOs-01-05. They even brought over some of their officials as a demonstration."

"We've been in meeting rooms for hours," Misato bemoaned.

"Meeting rooms?" Ontonashi asked, having cached up with Shinji. "What the hell's going on?"

The man in the uniform smirked. "There's been quite a bit of communication with their top brass and my top brass, apparently. As of now, the forces of NERV and the forces of the EDF are allied against the threat of the Angels."

* * *

><p><em>Planet X, (G)Earth<em>

"What's the point of _this_ meeting?!" X demanded angrily. "I'm getting sick and tired of being dragged into this room because of some silly detail!"

Rogar chuckled, baring more than a few of his large fangs in the process. "Don't worry, X. This is actually an important topic."

"Does it involve this 'SEELE' organization you were talking about?" the Nebulan leader asked.

"Indeed it does," Rogar replied. "The EDF have found their way to this Earth and are trying to stop them."

"WHAT?!" the Nebulan leader exclaimed. "Why are we even continuing with this invasion? It was bad enough when it was just Godzilla, but now the EDF is here? How are we going to handle them?"

"With SEELE," Rogar replied. "They are mass-producing the 'Evangelion' weapons we learned about, apparently they are key to their plans. I must say, their biotechnology is quite advanced. We are to help them develop the 'Evangelions', improve them with our own technology, and have our monsters assist them in their plan to initiate human extinction."

"How are we to do that if we don't even know anything about them or their weapons?" X asked, incredulous.

"We have a liaison between us and SEELE now," Rogar replied.

With that, a human walked into the room. He was of average height, but he still managed to be an intimidating presence. He wore all black clothing, save for white gloves and orange glasses that concealed the finer features of his eyes from them.

"Hello," Gendo Ikari said coldly.


	16. Blackout! The Angel of Rain Attacks!

_NERV Medical Wing_

Asuka woke with a start.

She bolted upright in bed, scanning her surroundings. She was in a hospital bed, that was for sure. No one else was in the room with her, and she was right by a window. A glance out of it revealed that she was back at the Geofront.

_How the hell did I get here? _she asked herself. _Last thing I remember was me on the island, heading over to Shi-_

Her eyes widened, faint memories of what happened after she drank the flask returning to her. _Oh, schiesse! I didn't actually have s-_

The sound of an opening door interrupted her horrified musings. Ritsuko walked in, carrying her standard medical clipboard. The doctor seemed a bit more... haggard than usual, Asuka noted. Her clothes weren't as straightened out, and her eyes had bags under them.

"Good morning, Asuka," Ritsuko said flatly. "How are you today?"

"How did I get here?" Asuka asked, ignoring the question.

Ritsuko sighed. "You were brought here by the 'Super-X' as these EDF fellows call it."

"Wait, you know about them?" asked Asuka. "What did I miss while I was asleep?

Ritsuko sighed again, rubbing her eyes wearily. "Apparently, NERV and the EDF have formed an alliance against the Angels. I'm having trouble buying it myself, Asuka." She pinched the bridge of her nose before continuing. "Travel between universes, alien invasions, mutants, psychics, self-aware robots, _fairies, _it sounds like something out of a science-fiction movie than real life. I'm still trying to take it all in."

"What about Shinji and the others?" Asuka asked. "Are they alright?"

"They're fine. And before you ask, nothing happened between you and Shinji," Ritsuko replied, a faint smile of amusement forming on her lips.

"That's a relief," Asuka said, getting out of the bed. "To think that I would even try _anything _with the aka!"

Ritsuko shrugged. "Shinji and the others are waiting for you outside, they'll help debrief you on everything that's happened."

"About time," Asuka muttered, hurriedly dressing and following Ritsuko out of the room. Shinji was sitting in the hallway, along with Misato and Ozaki. Upon seeing Asuka, Shinji's face brightened noticeably and his posture straightened.

"How are you, Asuka?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied tersely. "So, what have I missed?"

Shinji gave a small smile. "It's a long story."

* * *

><p><em>NERV Command Center<em>

"So," Aoba said, leaning back in his chair, "let me get this straight. There is an entire universe separate from ours, that has aliens, psychics, magic, and even more giant monsters than this one? And now we're working with them?"

Fuyutsuki nodded wearily. "Yes, that's the case."

Aoba shrugged. "Eh, I guess it's neat."

"What does the alliance mean for us?" Maya asked, somewhat fearful. "Are we going to be replaced?"

"No," Fuyutsuki replied. "There will be no downsizing for the NERV staff. However, you'll be seeing some new faces around here. In fact, you will have someone from the EDF working right here."

"Who?" Hyuga asked.

"Me," replied someone behind them. As one, the bridge bunnies whirled about to meet their new coworker. They were, to say at the very least, surprised. Maya actually let out a yelp of fear, and Hyuga scooted back a little in his seat. It was rather understandable, considering the fact that the owner of the voice was an eight-foot tall creature that bore considerable resemblance to an insect. It was garbed in a black uniform of some sort that strained and stretched were the alien's exoskeleton protruded outwards. Strangely intelligent compounded eyes regarded the bridge bunnies with unknown emotions behind them.

"Ibuki, Hyuga, Aoba, meet your new coworker, Unot Vokouta," Fuyutsuki said. "He is a member of an alien species that came from 'Space Hunter Nebula M'," he added, clearly confused as to what kind of name for a planet was that.

"Pleased as punch to make your acquaintance," Unot said cheerfully, extending a long arm with three pincer-like fingers at the end. There was a brief pause, then Aoba took the hand(?) with trepidation. The Nebulan shook strongly, clicking his mandibles in what Aoba hoped was a positive manner.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance as well," Aoba replied uneasily.

Unot clicked his mandibles again. "I'm really excited to work here. By the Great Burrower, I'm in a completely different universe!"

Aoba decided not to ask what the "Great Burrower" was, he felt that the explanation would be a long one.

"We're glad to have you work here, too," Maya said, overcoming her earlier fear. "Where are you going to sit?"

"I'll sit here," Unot replied, taking the seat next to Aoba's. The chair groaned and strained, threatening to buckle under the titanic mass sitting on it. "I've been studying your computer systems for quite some time now, I think that I have a handle on it."

_Wait, how long have you known about us? _Aoba asked himself.

Fuyutsuki allowed himself a small grin. "Now that you have all been acquainted with each other, it's time to get back to work."

"Yes, sir," they all replied at the same time.

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere in the halls of NERV<em>

"Okay, so that spiky armadillo-thing and that giant pterosaur defeated the Eighth Angel while we were on the island?" Asuka asked. She was walking with Shinji through the halls, having left the others behind.

Shinji nodded. "It explains where they were going in such a hurry. The Super-X also came in to help, but they got there cover blown and had to reveal their existence to the world."

_Commander Gordon was never one for subtleties, _Zone Fighter commented. _Did I ever tell you about the time he used the Gotengo to blow up-_

_Later, _Shinji replied.

Asuka fell silent for a moment or two, trying to think of something else to ask. She found it, and her eyes narrowed. "What _really _happened on the island after I drank that G-Cell serum?"

_Uh-oh, _Zone Fighter quipped.

"Er, nothing happened Asuka," Shinji replied uneasily.

"You're lying, baka," Asuka replied angrily. "I can see it in your face, you're as red as a lobster right now. What. Really. Happened?"

"Well, uh, you might have, er, kissed me," Shinji replied somewhat guiltily.

"That's it?" Asuka asked, surprised. "I thought it was something worse."

Shinji decided to let her go with that, not adding that she was half-naked at the time.

"Anyway," Asuka continued, "what happened to your dirtbag of a dad?"

"Not a goddamn clue," came Kaji's voice behind her. The agent casually strolled up to the two of them, a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. "The former commander decided to make a run for it as soon as Jet started hacking into the MAGI. I've been talking to my network of contacts, no one has any idea where he could be right now. It's almost as if he vanished into thin air."

* * *

><p><em>Planet X, (G)Earth<em>

Rogar was making an underestimate when he said that SEELE had impressive biotechnology, X decided. Now that they were allies, they could get a closer look at the schematics of the "Evangelion" weapons they were making. It was astonishing, really, that a rather primitive Earth could exceed even the Kilaak in biotechnology.

Of course, they were still primitive in many other regards. The Evangelions' armor was weak in comparison to what the Simeons and Nebulans had used for their designs, and the weapons they carried were mere peashooters before the firepower any of the races wielded. As such, it was natural for what Ikari asked for.

X leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the table. "So, you want us to upgrade your Evangelions?"

"That is correct," Gendo replied calmly. "As it stands, the Mass Production Series has the same armor and weaponry available as the models being used at NERV. As seen when Large Scale Organism One attacked Mount Fuji, they are inadequate for combat against the forces from your universe."

"Large Scale Organism One?" the Nebulan leader asked. "Do you mean Godzilla?"

Gendo raised an eyebrow. "You are familiar with the creature?"

X chuckled. "He's the reason why we're on this miserable rock. That scaly bastard's beaten back every single one of our invasions with the help of the humans and his giant allies."

"That obviously means that you have experience with the creature, this 'Godzilla', as you call it," Gendo said. "Does that mean you know its weaknesses? Has anything ever gotten close to killing it?"

"You can count the things that have genuinely hurt him on one of your hands," Rogar replied. "Obscene amounts of cadmium weaponry. Mechagodzilla. Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria. Destoroyah. King Ghidorah."

"What is 'King Ghidorah'?" Gendo asked. "Is it another creature from your universe?"

"King Ghidorah is the most powerful, dangerous, and insane creature in the universe," X replied. "He is the Destroyer of Worlds, the Abomination, the Living Death, the Antithesis to Creation. He has been around since the dawn of time, moving from planet to planet and scouring them clean of life. He also has a strong contempt for Earth, especially Godzilla."

"Or rather, _had,_" Rogar interjected. "He attacked Earth during the Kilaak invasion in the human year of 1999, hoping to take advantage of the chaos and finally destroy the planet. Instead, he was killed by a veritable kaiju army led by Godzilla."

"We have managed to clone him, but it's an imperfect creation," X continued. "Far weaker than the original creature."

"Does anything remain of the creature?" Gendo inquired.

"His middle head," the Nebulan leader replied. "The EDF moved it far away from Earth, just in case it proved to be capable of regenerating. Right now, it's located in the center of a large military base on Mars. Getting in would be, to say at the very least, difficult."

Gendo smirked slightly, making X shudder slightly. "But not impossible."

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ, one week later<em>

It was a quiet day at NERV, something that was greatly appreciated by the staff there. Fuyutsuki had gone out of the room to hold another meeting with the EDF commanders on the base, leaving the bridge crew by themselves.

Aoba repositioned himself in his chair, trying to get comfortable as he read the textbook Unot gave him. It was a history of the 20th century, albeit one from a very different universe. Unot had personally found it "a tad dry". For Aoba, it was astonishing, mesmerizing. Giant monsters awakened by the arrogance of man. Alien invasions that threatened to destroy humankind, beaten back by the heroics of men and monsters alike. It was all very fascinating, already Aoba had gotten to the Kilaak invasion of 1999.

Hyuga rose from his seat, stretching. "I'm grabbing a green tea. Ibuki, do you want a drink?"

Maya shook her head. "I'm good."

"Aoba?" Hyuga asked.

"I'll go with a tea as well," Aoba replied.

"Coffee for me," Unot said to the side, not bothering to look up from the console.

Hyuga raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know your species drank coffee."

Unot looked up from the console and glared at Hyuga with mock indignation. "Just because I look like a roach doesn't mean I eat like one," he replied.

"Oh, sorry," Hyuga said, rubbing the back of his head.

"That being said," Unot continued, "I would like a lot of extra sugar in my coffee."

"How much?" Hyuga inquired.

"Half," Unot replied.

"Of a packet?" Hyuga asked, surprised.

"Of a cup," Unot deadpanned.

Maya snickered, trying her best to hold it in. Thankfully, the large Nebulan didn't seem to notice, Aoba wondered how good his hearing was.

"Alright then," Hyuga said with trepidation. "Half a cup of sugar for you." With that, he left the room, wondering if there was even that much sugar at the nearby coffee machine. Unot once more focused his attention on the console.

"You know, I'm pretty sure I'd die of a heart attack if I drank something with half a cup of sugar in it," Aoba commented, closing his book.

"Of course you would," Unot replied, his antennae twitching occasionally. "You're a human. There are plenty of differences in biology between the two of us, I can't eat a bag of potato chips without dying from all of the salt you guys put in it."

"Life without potato chips is not a life I would want to live," Aoba said, leaning back in his chair.

With that, the room went dark.

* * *

><p><em>Chichi-jima, Ogasawara Archipelago<em>

Godzilla raised his head, glaring at an unseen point on the horizon. The tingling sensation in the back of his head was back. Another one of the _things_ had made itself known to the world, threatening the already damaged balance of nature.

However, he already had a mission to perform: protect the egg. Mothra was at her weakest when she began her reincarnation cycle anew, a multitude of threats could easily destroy her for good. A great number of this world's metal vessels were surrounding the island, ready to fire an onslaught of weaponry that could destroy the egg at any given moment. The only deterrents were Rodan, Anguirus, and himself. If they were to leave and combat the threat, the humans take advantage of their absence. He did not trust the humans of this world, especially after their attempt to take his son.

He noticed now that the _thing_ was incredibly weak, even Baragon could have killed it. Perhaps he could just let the humans take care of it, especially the entity that Miki told him was called "Shinji".

He rested his head on the ground and curled his tail around the egg. The humans could handle this one.

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

Shinji and Asuka were walking down to meet Rei in her hospital room when the halls suddenly turned dark.

"What happened to the lights?" Asuka asked, exasperated.

Shinji shrugged. "Maybe it's a blackout."

"Here?! This is the most important place on the planet, shouldn't there safety measures or something?" Asuka exclaimed.

"That makes sense," Shinji replied. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Rei!"

"Rei?" Asuka asked, confused. "What about Wondergirl?"

"What if her life support failed or something? We have to hurry!" Shinji replied. With that he suddenly brought his hands together. "ZONE DOBORU FIGHTU!"

Asuka had to shield her eyes from the sudden flash of light. When she lowered her arms, Shinji was in his armor. Yellow eyelights illuminated the hall, serving as makeshift flashlights.

"Follow me," he said.

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere<em>

It was starting to get really hot in the elevator now. Misato wiped a trickle of sweat from her forehead. Already she had discarded her uniform jacket, but it wasn't helping as much as she hoped.

"You know, you could just strip more if you wanted to," Kaji said with a chuckle, leaning against the elevator wall.

"Dude, I'm right here," Hyuga said from another corner of the elevator, his uniform jacket unbuttoned. _Not that I wouldn't mind much... _

"We are here as well," twin voices called out from an ornately carved wooden box on the ground.

"Moving on from your perverted request," Misato said.

"Suggestion," Kaji interrupted.

"_Request,_" Misato continued, "I wonder who could have caused the blackout."

"Maybe it was aliens," Hyuga suggested.

"If it weren't for all of the weird shit I've learned in the past month, I would've thought you were joking," Kaji said. "Speaking of aliens, how are you getting along with that Unot fellow?"

"I'm still a little freaked out, but otherwise it's going well," Hyuga replied. "I don't think he wants to eat me anymore."

Misato groaned. _How much longer until we get out? _she asked herself mentally.

* * *

><p><em>Commander Fuyutsuki's office<em>

Gordon slammed the phone back onto the receiver. "Lines are down," he grumbled.

"My communications array is still working," Jet said. "Perhaps we could call for assistance."

"From whom?" Fuyutsuki inquired. "Chances are, whoever caused this blackout is either in SEELE or the government, which has a considerable degree of overlap."

"That's why we get help from elsewhere," Gordon replied.

Suddenly, Miki barged into the office. "Sir, an Angel is coming to the city!"

Fuyutsuki sighed and rubbed his temples."Perfect timing," he said wearily.

* * *

><p><em>NERV Medical Wing<em>

With Shinji leading the way, they got to the infirmary quick enough. Just like in the rest of the base, the lights here were also out. As one they barged into Rei's hospital room, fully expecting the worst. What they didn't expect, however, was finding an empty bed.

Asuka did a double take. "Where did Wondergirl go?"

"I... don't know," Shinji replied.

Before they could do anything else, however, loud creaking noises sounded out over their heads. Raising their heads, they noticed that the air vent right above them was shaking and bulging in places.

"What the he-" Asuka began, only to be pushed out of the way by Shinji. It was just in time, the vent finally opened up, spilling out Toji. Before the Fourth Child could rise, however, he was pancaked by a falling Kensuke. Then Ozaki. Then Ontonashi. Then Maya. Then Aoba. All in rapid succession. Even Asuka had to wince in sympathy for the poor stooge.

"Hey guys, long time no see," Toji said weakly from under the pile of bodies.

"What are you doing in NERV?" Shinji asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Toji's the Fourth Child," Kensuke replied, rising from the pile and cracking his back into place.

"Never mind that, where's Wondergirl?" Asuka asked.

"I am here," came the reply from an undamaged section of the vent. Sure enough, Rei scooted into sight and was helped down by Ozaki. Aside from some bandages around her head and an arm cast, she seemed okay.

"How are you, Rei?" Shinji asked.

Rei frowned. "Turbulent. I was rather surprised by the Commander's disappearance, as well as the discovery that there is another Earth inhabited by aliens and monsters. I still have yet to reach emotional stability."

Rei was definitely alright.

"Where were all of you stooges heading, anyway?" Asuka asked.

"The Eva cages," came another voice from the air vent above. To Asuka and Shinji's surprise, a massive shape began to squeeze its way out of the vent, until eventually it landed on the floor and stood before them. Shinji then recognized it as a Nebulan. Asuka, having yet to learn the various alien species that called the other Earth home, instinctively backed away with a small yelp.

"Before I forget, let me introduce you to Unot Vokouta, our new coworker," Aoba said.

"Pleased to meet you, Zone Fighter," the Nebulan said, extending a hand. Shinji shook it, wincing slightly from Unot's strong grip.

"It's just Shinji," he replied.

Unot shrugged. "Sorry, just a bit starstruck."

"How the hell did you manage to fit in there?" Asuka inquired, dumbfounded.

"Collapsible body frame," Unot replied proudly. "I can squeeze into any space I can fit my head in."

Maya shuddered. "It was so freaky crawling through the vents with him skittering about behind me. No offense."

"It's understandable, I remember when I got stuck in a kiddie slide with a Kilaak as a hatchling," Unot replied. "It still gives me nightmares from time to time."

Asuka decided not to press any further into that particular subject.

"Why do we need to go to the Angel cages?" Shinji asked.

"There's an Angel attacking," Ozaki replied. "It slipped out of the ocean during the blackout and is apparently using acid to burn its way through the Geofront's armor."

"Looks like it's time to kick some Angelic ass," Asuka said, cracking her knuckles. "Which way to the Eva cages?"

"Follow me," Maya replied.

With that, the group began to make their way.

* * *

><p><em>Commander Fuyutsuki's office<em>

Jet continued to tweak with the device set on the desk. According to the android, it would take another half hour or so to get in contact with the EDF forces back on their Earth. Until then, all Gordon and the others could do was wait.

"So," Fuyutsuki began, breaking the ice, "Miss Saegusa, how did you exactly become a psychic?"

Miki looked up from the book she was reading. "I was born that way. Something about the mixture of human and Mysterian DNA just clicked into place."

"Ah," Fuyutsuki said, rather disappointed with the lack of conversation. He considered trying to start a game of Go with Gordon, but the look on the man's face dissuaded him from the idea. Sighing, he readjusted himself on the seat, contenting himself with watching Jet work.

That was interrupted when Miki suddenly snapped the book shut. "Commander Gordon, Shinji and the others are trying to reach the Eva cages."

Fuyutsuki was about to inquire how she could know that, then realized just how silly of a question it was.

Gordon rose from his seat. "Jet, keep working on the machine. When it's finished, ask for a division of maser tanks and the Super-X III. Miki, Fuyutsuki, follow me. We're going to help get the Evangelions ready for combat."

"How?" Miki asked.

Gordon grinned. "Good ol'fashioned muscle.

* * *

><p><em>In the halls of NERV<em>

"So..." Toji began, walking along Shinji, "you're actually Zone Fighter?"

"Not exactly," Shinji replied. "Zone Fighter is the name of the alien who bonded with me and gave me powers."

"Oh," Toji said. There was a brief pause before he spoke again. "What's it like?"

"Well, he likes to talk a lot, and we hang out in my dreams," Shinji began before Toji shook his head.

"I meant, what's it like clobbering Angels in the snoz?" Toji asked.

Shinji shrugged. "It's not easy, but it's necessary."

"Weird answer," the jock replied.

They reached the doors to the Eva cages shortly thereafter. Since the power was out, Shinji, Ozaki, and Unot had to pry the doors open and let the others in. Sure enough, the Evas were waiting in their cages. A number of technicians were already getting to work, moving equipment and parts into place with manual labor. To his surprise, Shinji could see Gordon and Fuyutsuki among them.

_Glad you could make it, _Miki suddenly said mentally. _The Angel is currently above the Geofront. The elevators aren't working, but apparently Ritsuko is outfitting Unit-01 with a big battery pack of sorts. As per Fuyutsuki's suggestion, Asuka will take the Evangelion and climb to the surface._

_I'll go with her, _Shinji replied.

_About that... _Zone Fighter interjected.

Before Shinji could ask what he meant by that, he realized that his belt was blinking. Sighing, he transformed back to his normal form in a flash. _Looks like I'm staying on the ground, huh?_

_Never mind that, let's get to work, _Miki said.

* * *

><p><em>About 20 minutes later<em>

Asuka clambered upwards in Unit-01, using the gaps between levels in the elevator shaft as handholds. It was not an easy task, especially with a heavy battery pack and pallet rifle slung across her back. Nonetheless, she was making good progress. Already she was 90% of the way up, part of the Angel was visible. One thing was for sure, this Angel was _titanic._

She cleared the rest of the elevator shaft and finally reached the surface. The Angel was about 300 meters away, or at least its main body was. The Angel was absolutely massive, a black hemisphere twice the size of an Eva supported by four folded legs. It reminded Asuka of a daddy longlegs. The hemisphere part of its body was covered in markings that looked like human eyes, and the corrosive she was told about was pouring out of the central "eye".

Unslinging her pallet rifle, Asuka prepared to fire. Just as she pulled the trigger, however, the Angel moved out of the way, raising its main body. The massive bullets missed it considerably, instead slamming away into a nearby hillside. The Angel then twisted its body, pointing its central eye towards here.

"Schiesse," Asuka muttered, ducking out of the way just in time. A stream of acid missed her narrowly, dissolving a nearby skyscraper instead. Asuka fired once more, and managed to sever one of its long legs. LCL sprayed out of the wound, coating the streets in the process. The Angel responded noiselessly, instead rising to its full height by unfolding its three remaining legs. Now Asuka could appreciate just how tall the thing was, the Angel was over a kilometer and a half tall.

More corrosive poured forth from the Angel's "eye", but Asuka was able to dodge it easier this time. She unloaded her pallet rifle at the Angel, hypersonic bullets shredding their way through the Angel's body but missing the core. LCL came down on the city like a bloody rainstorm, painting even more of it red. The Angel fired wildly, trying desperately to hit her. It succeeded, a stray glob ruining her pallet rifle and corroding some of the armor on her torso.

Before the Angel could press its advantage, however, a large flash of light shone briefly nearby. Several energy beams lashed out, striking agains the Angel's AT-field. The Angel was forced back by the assault, wobbling unsteadily on its three remaining legs. Asuka turned her head, wondering where the blasts could have come from.

There were a dozen of military vehicles nearby now, similar in design to tanks. Instead of cannons, however, they appeared to be sporting a variety of weapons that looked more at home in science fiction movies. Asuka realized that these must have been EDF forces.

The cavalry had arrived.

More energy beams lashed out from the EDF tanks, smashing into the Angel's AT-field. A large plane sporting similar weapons also joined into the fray, firing a particularly large beam from its nose.

The AT-field didn't hold. With a great crashing sound it shattered like glass, allowing the energy beams to tear into the fragile flesh of the Angel. Its remaining legs were severed by the attack, and the main body of the creature fell back down, creating a large crater in the ground. Despite it all, the Angel was not dead, a fact that Asuka would soon remedy. Drawing her progressive knife, she lunged at the Angel, plunging the knife into its now exposed core.

The core shattered, and with it the Angel finally died. Like its predecessors, it swelled up then exploded into LCL. Asuka pulled back, exhausted but feeling pleased with herself. Another Angel kill under her belt. With that the Eva finally powered down, leaving her to be recovered.

**A/N: The EDF gets in on the action! Don't worry, the fights won't all be as easy as this. If you're curious as to what Unot looks like, check out Matt Frank's designs for the Nebulans.**


	17. Mars Under Attack!

_Observation Post Alpha, Martin Base, Argyle Basin_

Alarms blared throughout the halls of the base, jolting Tom out of his nap. He immediately set to work, checking the security systems to find out what was the cause of the situation. Alarms were frequent on the base, usually it was simply a particularly nasty dust storm or an occasional meteor shower. He once remembered a false rumor of Gigan prowling about on the rim of the basin, but it was just the result of a drunk technician seeing a dust devil.

As he checked the security feed, however, he realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that this was no simple dust storm. A video feed from one of many surveillance drones showed two titanic shapes standing on the distant edge of the basin, clearly visible in the light of the shrunken sun. Tom recognized them immediately, anyone on or off Earth could do so.

"Shit," he muttered to himself. He set to work, his hands shaking. He sent out the distress beacon back towards Earth, but knew that it would be 18 minutes before they could even receive the message, let alone respond. Considering just how powerful the two creatures making their way to the base were, 18 minutes would be plenty of time for them to reduce it to freezing rubble. Despite essentially staring death in the face, Tom knew what to do. Activating the communications array so he could contact the rest of the base, he set to work.

"Sierra Zero One and Delta Zero One are approaching the base from the Southeast, ETA is seven minutes. I repeat, Sierra Zero One and Delta Zero One are approaching the base from the Southeast, ETA is seven minutes..."

* * *

><p>Destoroyah growled angrily as it marched towards the distant metal structure, a normally menacing sound that was instead rather tinny in the virtually nonexistent Martian atmosphere. Martian regolith, the product of seas long dead, crunched underneath its massive feet as it walked. The living Oxygen Destroyer hated the cold with a passion, it was an alien sensation to a creature that had evolved in near-boiling environments. It was only by the machinations and control of its masters that it even functioned on the planet. The Precambrian horror had been given a simple task to fulfill: attack.<p>

It was all too happy to do so.

Already it could see the approaching metal vessels that the humans used. Memories of its near-death and humiliating defeat at the hands of the humans and that aggravating reptile flowed through the specialized organisms that formed its collective brain. Energy crackled about its horn, and wisps of micro-oxygen escaped its maw. It turned its head, looking at its immediate superior like a dog asking if it could play.

Its fellow titan nodded. With that, Destoroyah rushed forward, practically bouncing in the weak gravity of Mars. The humans opened fire on the colossal monster, energy beams producing sparks as they struck out against its thick armor. The pain was trivial, especially when compared to the reward. Tremendous energies rose in its chest, and with a howl it blasted forth micro-oxygen from its jagged maw, utterly annihilating the nearest human tank. To its minor disappointment, no flames erupted from the blast site. No matter, there was more where that came from.

As Destoroyah engaged the human forces, its fellow kaiju continued to advance forward, unfettered by the petty squabble its buffoon of a pawn had with the insects that called themselves Man. Unlike the living Oxygen Destroyer, this particular creature was given a rather specific set of orders. Although it felt no loyalty to the puny beings that foolishly believed they controlled it, it did have a shared goal: the destruction of Earth and its defenders.

Some human aircraft were approaching it from afar, charging their energy weapons. It gave them no chance to do even the slightest harm, a miniature solar flare blasted forth from its jaws, twisting and turning its way through the aircraft before dissipating. There was no feeling of malice in its attack, no bloodlust. Just a mechanical indifference as cold as space itself.

Time was of the essence now, the humans were likely arming the cluster of nuclear bombs underneath the base in order to destroy what they came for. With that in mind the creature took flight, making a mockery of physics by manipulating gravity itself in order to lift its gargantuan bulk. Energy flowed from the small sun in its chest to the crystals in its back, producing arcs of electricity between them. In a final burst of energy, an invisible wave spread out from the creature, disabling any and all electronics in the area. This was no normal EMP, otherwise the humans would not have been affected by it.

The creature advanced on the helpless base now, ignoring the aircraft falling from the sky. It set its feet back onto the cold regolith and made the last leg of the journey on foot, quaking the lifeless ground with each step. Flexing its claws, it began to methodically tear apart the base, stripping away the advanced armor to get at the objective inside.

There. The last head of the Golden Destroyer lay before the creature, staring right through it with lifeless eyes. It was beginning to ice over now, as the moisture in the air of its prison succumbed to the deep chill of Mars. Now the monster could see that the clone of the Golden Destroyer was indeed a shadow of its predecessor, the musculature and skeletal structure was far more powerful. With that in mind the creature took the head into its claws and turned away from the ruined base, taking flight once more. Destoroyah remained behind, unaware of its companion's departure. The mission dictated that it stay behind for the next phase.

As Spacegodzilla rocketed out of the tenuous Martian atmosphere, it wondered what its "masters" had in store for the Golden Destroyer. Glancing back down at the beast's head, it felt a rare sensation of unease.

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

Ritsuko groaned, rubbing her temples. Her supply of cigarettes had long depleted, their smoking butts crunched up in the ashtray. She had spent the last few days looking over NERV's security systems, making sure that an event like the blackout couldn't happen again. To make matters worse, she also had to deal with repairing the Evangelions. Thankfully, the other Earth (a thought that always made her brain do a double-take) proved to be quite useful in that regard, all units were at 95% functionality thanks to their efforts.

They even upgraded the Evas, albeit after gaining her permission. She was rather hesitant, the less the other Earth knew about the true nature of the Evangelion project, the better. The upgrades, according to EDF documents and classifications they lent her, included vastly improved armor, targeting systems, and weapons. The differences were noticeable, each Eva was slightly bulkier than before. She had to admit, the other Earth was far more versed in monster fighting.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Misato strolled into the room.

"Whatcha doing, Rits?" she asked, casually leaning against the wall.

"Working," Ritsuko replied tersely, fumbling about for a nonexistent cigarette. "What's this all about, Misato?"

"Do you remember the A-Type equipment you were working on?" Misato inquired.

"Misato, that's for space combat," the bottle blonde replied. "What are you getting at?"

"We might need some."

There was a brief pause before Ritsuko responded.

"Wait, what?"

"Gordon and the other EDF guys apparently got a distress call from a Mars base, they think some of their world's bad monsters are behind it," Misato replied. "They're sending some guys over, and I think we should be prepared for it."

Ritsuko sighed. "We still have a set of A-Type equipment in storage. We did some tests with Unit-00, it should work."

"Good," Misato said. With that, she walked out of the room.

* * *

><p><em>EUWS Gotengo<em>

"Jet, systems check," Gordon ordered, settling down into the command chair.

"All systems for the Gotengo are operational," Jet replied from the hastily constructed station outside of Tokyo-3. "Wormhole is stabilizing as well."

Sure enough, the now-familiar sphere of the singularity appeared before the Gotengo, revealing a warped image of the Red Planet. A squadron of specially designed aircraft went in first, radioing back a successful jaunt once they were across.

"Alright men, let's make this quick," Gordon said.

With that, the Gotengo fired its engine and lurched forward, rushing into the singularity at the calculated angle. There was a brief sensation of weightlessness, then they were hovering over the rusty regolith of Mars.

"Jaunt successful," a crewman said, radioing back to the station on Earth. "Telemetry is coming in from satellites, we're two clicks from the base."

"Proceed," Gordon said.

* * *

><p><em>Tokyo Harbor<em>

Godzilla poked his head above the water, having noticed that the fleet around the island left, and stared at the ruined city before him. Tokyo was the city most familiar to him, on many occasions he had visited in order to save it from threats. It was not unusual to see at least a portion of it destroyed, but the humans were always quick to rebuild.

But in this world...

The city was nothing but decayed ruins sticking out of the dirt, crumbling away before the unstoppable tide of time. Never before had he seen such devastation in the city, not even when the Simeons had assaulted the city with their mechanical double of him. The proud metropolis of his memories was now nothing but radioactive rubble. Man had finally succeeded where monsters had failed.

With that in mind he rose from the waves, seawater rolling off of his massive bulk. He stepped onto shore and began to march into the heart of the ruined city, his tremendous footsteps collapsing weakened structures in the process. Great clouds of dust rose in his wake, a grim reminder of the horrors atomic warfare inflicted on its victims. He stopped right by where Tokyo Tower once stood, setting to work. His spines began to glow a faint blue, much gentler than usual. Had anyone been standing in the city at the time with a Geiger counter in hand, they would have noticed the radiation levels rapidly depleting until they reached normal levels.

With a solemn quiet the King of the Monsters turned once back to the sea, leaving Tokyo behind. Perhaps one day the city would stand tall again. Just as his clawed toes touched against the waves, however, he sensed something. It was just like the one he felt the day he wound up in this world, coming from nearby.

There was another thing he could sense, greatly attenuated but still distinct- danger. With a low growl he began to make his way to the source, preparing himself for battle.

* * *

><p><em>Mars<em>

"By the Great Void..." a Simeon crewman muttered, eyes fixed on the video feed.

Gordon couldn't blame him. The base was in complete ruins, blasted and torn beyond all recognition. Ice coated the countless pieces of debris, signifying a hull breach. No smoke billowed into the thin air, for there was essentially no oxygen to fuel flames.

"Any survivors?" Gordon asked.

"Scans are a negative," another crewman replied.

"Great," Gordon muttered. "Let's report back to Tokyo-3."

Before the Gotengo could turn back to the wormhole, however, a purple beam shot down from above, spearing a nearby aircraft and vaporizing it. A titanic shape bore down on the Gotengo, narrowly missing it. The mighty warship turned, trying to face the attacker while other aircraft bombarded it with maser beams.

"Put the bastard on screen!" Gordon barked.

The feed shifted, showing the attacker. It was massive, measuring more than 120 meters in height. Its body was covered in a black and rough carapace, providing more than ample protection for the beast. Sickly yellow eyes regarded the Gotengo, tightening more than a few sphincters onboard the ship.

"Destoroyah..." someone said, her voice containing both awe and terror.

The Living Oxygen Destroyer opened its gaping maw, ready to fire another beam. Its horn crackled with energy, and Gordon could see the glow of plasma gathering in the back of its throat. Before it could fire, however, the ship's automated defenses activated. A barrage of specially-designed anti-kaiju missiles slammed into Destoroyah's face, obscuring it in a massive explosion.

The Gotengo took advantage of the distraction and backed away from the deadly creature, pointing its drill end towards it. Numerous particle beams peppered Destoroyah, sparks flying where they made contact. Finally, the drill's maser activated, knocking the kaiju over.

"Direct hit!" a crewman said.

"Good," Gordon replied. "Prepare the next volley of missiles and start charging up the Absolute Zero Cannon."

Suddenly, another energy struck out from the side, hitting the Gotengo's flank. Being a well-designed ship, sparks did not fly on the bridge, but the groaning noises emanating from underneath were sufficient to tell how bad the situation was.

The owner of the attack set itself down in-between the Gotengo and Destoroyah. It was a angular and lithe creature, covered from head to hooked toe in blades, the most prominent being the two scythes that replaced its forearms. A menacing red visor glared at the Gotengo, and the monster screeched, clanging its scythes together.

"Gigan," Gordon growled. "Did you bring your buddy as well?"

Almost as if to answer his question, the other monster appeared as well. In stark contrast to Gigan, this creature was a bulky thing, possessing club-like drills instead of blades. Yellow compound eyes stared out dopily underneath a star-shaped horn that crackled with energy. With a low chirp, the Seatopian God Megalon clanged its drills together, then gently tapped one against Gigan's scythe.

Just as it appeared things couldn't get any worse, they did. One last kaiju appeared, one that sent chills down even Gordon's spine. A crewman even began to wail uncontrollably before being carried off of the bridge by another, having been seized by pure and unadulterated terror. The creature was clad in a beautiful armor of golden scales, completely devoid of any grime or wear. Three serpentine necks rose from a muscular torso, and great wings stretched out from either side. Six blood-red eyes bore holes in the Gotengo with nothing but hate behind them.

"Ghidorah..." Gordon began, then steeled himself. "Open fire, aim the maser on Ghidorah. He's our primary target!"

* * *

><p><em>Misato's Apartment<em>

"I was not aware that you were the silver entity that helped us fight the Angel," Rei said calmly, sipping from her green tea.

"The baka managed to keep it under our noses for two months!" Asuka exclaimed, sitting next to Shinji on the sofa. It was Misato's suggestion that they have the First Child over, hoping that it would help her acclimate to the new situation. Surprisingly enough, the blue-haired pilot brought Kensuke along with her, who in turn had brought Toji, who brought along Hikari. Now the six of them were sitting in a circle in the living, awkwardly talking with each other.

"Wait, Shinji's Zone Fighter?!" Hikari asked, confused.

"I forgot to tell ya," Toji replied. "Our bud here's been socking Angels in the schnoz all this time! It's supposed to be a secret, but just about everyone knows."

"How... I can't even..." Hikari began, then fell into stunned silence.

"I got to ride a giant moth," Kensuke added, mainly directing the statement towards Rei.

"Fascinating," Rei replied.

Before the conversation could continue, however, Shinji suddenly sprang to his feet, startled. "We're needed at NERV," he said, quickly rushing out of the door.

"Shit," Toji grumbled, grabbing his jacket and following after the boy. Asuka and Rei followed shortly afterwards, leaving a very confused Kensuke and Hikari behind in the apartment.

Misato was waiting for them in the car, doors flung open. "I'll explain on the way," she said as the group piled in.

"Wait, where did Shinji go?" Toji asked.

"He blasted off into the sky," Misato replied.

"Perfectly reasonable answer," Asuka deadpanned as Misato slammed her foot on the accelerator.

* * *

><p><em>Mars<em>

The Gotengo narrowly dodged another gravity bolt, only to be struck by Gigan's optic beam. A piece of the ship's armor was simply vaporized by the attack, sparks flying from the point of contact. The attack was followed up by a napalm bomb from Megalon, worsening the damage.

"Damn it!" Gordon growled, slamming a fist on the armrest of his chair. "What's our status!"

"We're at 47% power, and our structural integrity's down to 73%!" a crewman replied. "We have exposed sections of the ship, and we're losing altitude!"

"Concentrate fire on the nearest kaiju!" Gordon barked.

Missiles blasted out of their ports, smashing into Gigan. Aside from an angry screech, they appeared to have no effect on the cybernetic kaiju. It fired once more, a crimson bolt of energy tearing a hole in the ship. Ghidorah cackled as it performed another strafing run of the Gotengo, spewing forth gravity bolts from its three mouths. The beams struck home, the ship shuddering with the impacts. The Gotengo was losing altitude, smoke billowing out of several large gashes torn into it by its attackers. It rapidly approached the surface of Mars, trying and failing to rise out of danger.

"Brace for impact!" Gordon shouted.

The Gotengo smashed into the surface, kicking up regolith in the process. It skidded for about half a kilometer, then came to a stop. Fortunately, the bridge crew managed to survive the landing relatively unscathed. The crew sections were the most well-protected parts of the ship, a fact that saved countless lives.

"Status report!" Gordon barked, a small cut on his forehead.

"Main engine is down," a Xilien crewman replied. "Structural integrity is at 38%, armor is at 12%."

A shadow fell over the bridge, prompting Gordon to look up. Through the video feed he could see Destoroyah glaring down at the helpless ship. The Precambrian abomination narrowed its yellow eyes and grinned, fully aware of the crew's predicament. Gordon gritted his teeth, realizing just how much the kaiju was enjoying this. Wisps of micro-oxygen escaped from its mouth, and it opened its jaws wide-

-just in time for Zone Fighter to deliver a flying punch into its face at Mach 1. Gordon could feel the shockwave in his chest as the two combatants went flying for over two kilometers, kicking up regolith and boulders when they landed.

Gordon grinned. "Looks like the cavalry has arrived.

* * *

><p>Shinji was quick to rise to his feet, shaking away the pain in his hand as faced to gigantic kaiju before him. Before it could completely recover from the attack, he opened fire with a Proton Beam, blasting away some of the thick armor on the creatures shoulder. It didn't seem too effective, however, and the creature was soon back on its feet, glaring at him with its lower jaw completely missing. Greenish yellow ichor dripped from the wound, freezing as it made the slow fall to the ground in the low gravity of Mars.<p>

_Any tips on fighting this thing? _Shinji asked.

_Try not to get too close to the thing, _Zone Fighter replied. _This thing is even physically stronger than Godzilla. It's very clumsy and slow, take advantage of that._

Destoroyah growled as the microorganisms composing its body shifted, healing the damage done to it by Shinji. There was no micro-oxygen here to consume, any lost biomass could not be replenished. Hatred flowed through it at the thought, it would make sure to kill this one extra slowly. Its horn crackled with energy, and a beam of ionized micro-oxygen shot forth from the kaiju's maw. Shinji dodged, if only barely, and managed to fire off a Meteor Missile in response. The projectile lodged in Destoroyah's leg and detonated, blasting away even more armor and spewing ichor into the thin air.

Before Shinji could press the attack, however, something smashed into him. He was sent flying away, slowly falling back towards the ground. He took flight, and was thus able to dodge the next attack from his unknown assailant. Turning, he was able to see that it was Megalon. The beetle-like kaiju clanged its drills together, firing a round napalm bomb from its open mandibles. The blast struck him in the chest, denting and charring his armor. Thankfully, that was the only effect it had, a suit breach here would be... unpleasant, to say the least.

The thought led to the acute realization that he was now an alien cyborg superhero fighting giant monsters on Mars, giving him a temporary sensation of cognitive dissonance.

Megalon charged blindly at Shinji, allowing him to simply sidestep it and deliver a kick to its back. The kaiju faceplanted into the ground, an impressive feat considering just how much time it had to do something about its fall. It was back on its feet, however, and with a groan Shinji realized that what the creature lacked in brains was made up for in brawn.

Gigan landed by Megalon's side, tapping a scythe against its drill. Destoroyah began marching on his position, trying to catch up with the others. The next creature that appeared, however, nearly caused his heart to stop. He recognized the golden scales, the three heads, and the malevolent red eyes of the creature, of King Ghidorah himself. Zone Fighter recognized it as well.

_It can't be, _the alien said in Shinji's head, a foreign emotion flooding forth into his mind. _This isn't right, __Godzilla and the others killed you 16 years ago! You're still alive?! How can you still be alive?!_

Shinji realized now that Zone Fighter was actually angry. He felt his fists clench under the control of something other than his own. It was disconcerting to have something other than him take command of his body.

_I'LL KILL YOU!_

He found himself racing forward at a much higher speed than normal, slamming into Ghidorah with a force that could shatter a mountain. The two went skidding across the ground, creating a furrow in the regolith wide enough to fit an ocean liner that stretched for hundreds of meters. Before the three-headed creature could recover from the attack Zone Fighter began smashing Shinji's fists into the creature's middle head, slamming it back into the ground with each blow. The strikes were clumsy, unnatural, but effective.

_What are you doing?! _Shinji finally managed to think. _Why are you controlling my body?!_

_I'll explain later! _Zone Fighter snapped. _But first, this thing needs to die!_

The thing in question finally managed to recover from the attack and fired gravity beams from its other two heads, sending Shinji back. Before he could do anything else, the three-headed monster rose from the ground and pelted him with more gravity bolts. Shinji groaned in pain, he felt as though an MMA fighter was using him as a punching bag.

The others joined in on the fight. Destoroyah slammed into Shinji with its titanic bulk, knocking him back into the ground. Gigan attacked next, opening fire with its optic beam. Megalon was the last to join the fray, opting to fire a few napalm bombs at him. This proved to be a foolish move on the kaiju's part, as it obscured Shinji in a cloud of smoke.

Taking advantage of the situation, Shinji flew upwards and looked down at the four kaiju on the ground.

_I'll talk with you about that incident later, _Shinji said mentally. _But now, we need a new plan of attack. Any ideas?_

_Well, I'd use the Meteor Missiles on them from here, then follow up with a ground attack, _Zone Fighter replied.

_Got it, _Shinji said.

Leveling his wrists at the kaiju, he opened fire. Over half a dozen Meteor Missiles raced downwards, knocking the monsters back with the force of their detonations. Gigan frantically fired its optic beam at him, but the shot went wide. Shinji responded with a Proton Beam, blasting away some of the cyborg's armor.

Now it was time for the next step of the attack. Shinji rocketed towards the ground, delivering a double kick to Ghidorah's chest. The three headed dragon cried out in pain, golden blood pouring out of its mouths. Megalon rushed forward, trying to help its comrade, but Shinji flipped it over his shoulder, throwing it into Gigan. As the two cyborgs tried to disentangle themselves, Shinji strafed them with another Proton Beam.

_It looks like those training sessions with Ozaki and Jet paid off, _Zone Fighter commented.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over Shinji. A clawed hand took hold of his throat, squeezing tightly. Shinji tried to pry the claws off of his throat, but the attacker responded by tossing him away like a rag doll. Shinji hit the ground hard, and looked up in time just to receive a micro-oxygen beam to the chest. Shinji cried out in pain, it was almost as if someone had hit him with molten iron. He collapsed to the ground, groaning weakly.

* * *

><p><em>Temporary Station outside Tokyo-3<em>

Jet Jaguar continued to regulate the singularity just outside of the station, utilizing a precision only a machine could have. It was necessary, forming a wormhole outside of Earth's gravity well proved to be far more difficult than expected. Any error or lapse in judgement could result in a collapse, which would strand the Gotengo and Shinji on Mars. As such, he was fortunate that he couldn't get surprised when Godzilla suddenly appeared over the horizon, making a beeline for the wormhole.

As Godzilla neared, Jet weighed the options. One one hand, Godzilla could end up on the opposite side of Mars, stranded and unable to return. On the other hand, it would of great help for Shinji and the Gotengo if Earth's most powerful monster joined the fight.

Then he realized that, regardless of his decision, Godzilla would just jump in anyway. Therefore, he decided to optimize the wormhole's parameters so that Godzilla would appear as close as possible to the others. All it took was a few twists of the control knobs at _just_ the proper amount, and the singularity was ready.

It was just in time, Godzilla was now right at the wormhole. The radioactive saurian paused briefly, almost as if he was studying the thing before him, then lunged in, disappearing completely from sight.

Jet briefly wished Godzilla luck, he was going to need it where he was going.

* * *

><p><em>Mars<em>

Destoroyah loomed over the silver man that dared attack it, an all-too-human grin on its face. It raised a massive foot and lightly stepped down on the giant's head, pressing him back into the regolith. He put more weight into its foot, enjoying the silver man's feeble attempt to push it off. The pressure began to increase, and increase, and increase...

Just when it seemed as though the giant's head was about to be crushed to a pulp, a blue beam suddenly struck Destoroyah in the chest, forcing the Precambrian terror back. It cried out in pain and rage as the beam blasted away hunks of its armor and flesh, feeling countless component organisms die in nuclear hellfire. Ichor oozed from its slagged chest, staining its lower body.

The attack finally ceased, and Destoroyah turned its hateful gaze to the source of the beam. Its eyes widened as it recognized the attacker, then they narrowed into barely-visible slits. Of all the things in Creation, Destoroyah hated this one most. It roared in pure fury, completely forgetting the silver man.

Godzilla, King of the Monsters, roared back.

* * *

><p><em>NERV HQ<em>

Asuka took a deep breath of LCL, trying to calm her nerves. _Just think of it as a usual sortie, _she thought to herself. _Don't give too much thought to the fact that you're going to Mars in an alternate universe in order to help an alien cyborg superhero that is also your roommate fight giant space monsters._

She realized that she was just making matters worse.

"Unit-02, launch!" Misato barked over the commlink.

With a nauseating lurch the Evangelion sped upwards, pressing Asuka into her seat. The uncomfortable passed, however, and she soon found herself on the surface. The wormhole was in sight the horizon, visible as a faint shimmer. A weapons locker rose to her side and opened, revealing a bulky new rifle, a progressive spear, and a small fusion reactor.

"Remember, Asuka, that new battery will still only give you half an hour of combat time," Ritsuko said over the commlink.

"Got it," Asuka replied, slinging the rifle over her shoulder. With the spear in one hand and the fusion reactor in the other, she began to sprint. It was much harder than on previous sorties; the excess bulk of the upgrades, A-Type Equipment, and weapons nearly doubled her weight.

_Why the hell am I even doing this? _she asked herself. _Why should I care what's happening on some planet in another universe!_

_Because Shinji's there, _another part of her mind responded.

She brushed the thought out of her head, a critical moment like this was not the time to have confusing feelings. She was right at the singularity now, a too-perfect sphere that warped and reflected light in headache-inducing ways. With a great heave she leapt into the wormhole along the calculated path.

"Mars, here I come," she muttered as she stretched across the nothingness between universes.

* * *

><p><em>Mars<em>

Godzilla glared at Destoroyah, sizing the titanic kaiju up. His mind briefly returned to their first fight. It was in Tokyo at nighttime, just like so many other battles then. Created from a weapon that had killed a creature not unlike himself, its great strength was matched only by its sadistic savagery. He had yet to return to full strength after his battle with his cosmic clone, and had nearly lost his life that night as a result. He had prevailed then, however, and would prevail now.

Destoroyah ground its jaws with so much force that some of its teeth shattered. It had been so close to defeating the creature before it, but it had made the mistake of stepping onto a coolant tank all those years ago. Once its enemy had discovered its weakness, it suffered a painful and humiliating defeat that night, losing almost all of its biomass in the process. For decades it carried the memory of the pain, using it to fuel its desire for vengeance. Now the time had come to exact its revenge.

For a brief moment, neither combatant moved. Then, as one, they lunged. It was on of those rare occasions were Godzilla was actually the faster combatant, something he used to great effect. He slammed his shoulder into the Precambrian horror, deepening the regenerating wound on its chest. Destoroyah howled, slamming a humongous fist into the side of Godzilla's head. Godzilla staggered from the blow, growling angrily and charging his atomic ray. Before he could counterattack, however, Destoroyah blasted him with a micro-oxygen beam, knocking the atomic saurian to the ground. Destoroyah growled in contentment and moved forward, only to receive an atomic ray to the face, blasting away a good deal of flesh and destroying one of its eyes.

Roaring in fury, the titanic kaiju lunged blindly, hoping to trample Godzilla underfoot. Godzilla anticipated the attack, however, and demonstrated his herculean strength by flipping the abomination over his shoulder. He gave Destoroyah no chance to recover, blasting the creature in the chest again with his atomic ray. The demonic kaiju was grievously wounded now. Most of the armor on its chest was gone, and the regolith around the creature was stained with its ichor.

Before Godzilla could press his attack, however, a gravity beam strafed him across his chest. The nuclear leviathan looked up from the dying Destoroyah, seeing... King Ghidorah?! He roared with an fury that had been unseen for 15 years, charging up another atomic ray. The azure beam raced forward, striking Ghidorah in the chest. The three headed kaiju cried out in pain, sparks flying from where the blast struck. Golden blood dripped from the wound, and it was then that Godzilla realized that the monster before him was not truly Ghidorah. It had never been so easy to make the King of Terror bleed.

He cracked his knuckles as the false Ghidorah rose weakly. Destoroyah rose as well, shifting its remaining biomass in order to regenerate its wounds. It backed away from Godzilla, glaring daggers with him with its remaining eye. Godzilla snorted with contempt. He would take great joy in mopping the floor with these trash.

Roaring once more, he charged.

* * *

><p>Unbeknownst to Godzilla, Gigan and Megalon were sneaking up from behind, intent on taking him by surprise. Before they could strike, however, a Proton Beam strafed across their backs. As one they turned, glaring at their attacker.<p>

"Forgot about me, huh?" Shinji said unsteadily, raising his fists. He was scared out of his wits, but they didn't need to know that.

Megalon charged like a bull again, not even bothering to use its napalm bombs or its horn-attack. Shinji dodged to the side like before, planning on sweeping out the beetle-like kaiju's legs from beneath, only to narrowly miss being impaled on Gigan's scythe. The cybernetic kaiju screeched in frustration at its failure to kill him, charging up its optic beam. Shinji acted quickly, delivering Gigan a double-handed uppercut. The kaiju's head snapped upwards, firing the beam uselessly into the sky.

Megalon was turning back now, trying once more to catch Shinji in a charge. The boy found it impressive just how idiotic the kaiju could be. He flew upwards at the last second, allowing Megalon to slam into Gigan with enough force to send the two flying for half a kilometer. Just as Shinji was about to fire a beam, Zone Fighter interjected.

_Shinji, your energy is very low right now, _the alien said in his mind. _If you're forced to turn back to normal here, you'll die in a matter of minutes._

_And if I run away, Gordon and the others will die, _Shinji retorted. _There has to be a way to do something about it!_

The alien paused briefly, thinking. _There are higher amounts of ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays here than on Earth. I might be able to have the armor absorb them for power, but it would only extend it for an extra minute at the most._

_Let's do it,_ Shinji said.

Unfortunately for Shinji, he failed to notice that Megalon had gotten back up. A beam not unlike Ghidorah's gravity bolt struck him in the chest, knocking him down. The attack was promptly followed up with a couple of napalm bombs, charring and denting his armor badly.

The beetle-like kaiju began to advance on Shinji, intent on beating him to a fine paste, but was suddenly stopped in its tracks by a brilliant violet maser beam to the face. It staggered back and tripped, landing on its hindquarters in an almost comical fashion. Gigan screeched angrily, speeding to where the beam had come from, only to also receive a maser beam to the chest. As the two kaiju struggled to their feet, Shinji turned his head weakly towards his unexpected savior.

It was almost like something out of a painting. Unit-02 stood proudly in its impressive new armor with the shrunken disc of the sun setting behind it, casting long shadows across the landscape. In one hand it held a titanic rifle, steam turning to fine snow as it rose from the barrel. In the other, it held a spear worthy of a Greek god, its blade reflecting the weak sunlight just the right way. It was a sight that would be etched into Shinji's memory for the rest of his life.

Unit-02 nudged a large cylinder towards him with its foot. Shinji focused his blurry vision on it, and realized that it was likely something for him to recharge with. Sure enough, someone had spray painted "4 U" on it in titanic letters. He latched onto it with shaking hands, watching as the material on his gloves change. The flow of energy hit him like a wave, he could feel himself getting stronger with each second. Finally he drained it completely and stood tall, letting the power flow through him.

"Thanks," he said, then realized that the thin atmosphere meant that she couldn't hear it.

He spun about, turning his gaze to Gigan and Megalon. The two kaiju were back on their feet, the fury clear on their bizarre faces. Gigan screeched silently, charging up its optic beam, while Megalon fired another trio of napalm bombs. Shinji and Asuka dodged the attack, opening fire with their own weapons. Gigan cried out as a Proton Beam struck it in the stomach, and Megalon flailed about as Asuka's maser rifle scorched its hide.

"I'VE GOT BUG BOY," Asuka's speakers blared, the only way to really get sound across the virtually nonexistent atmosphere. "YOU CAN HANDLE CHICKEN LITTLE."

Shinji nodded, then rushed forward.

* * *

><p>Godzilla roared in fury as Destoroyah slashed him across the chest with its energized horn, cleanly slicing his skin open. He swiped Destoroyah across its still regenerating face with his claws, tearing away armor and flesh. As the Precambrian monster reeled from the attack, Godzilla slammed his tail into it, knocking it into the ground. Destoroyah fired its micro-oxygen beam, striking Godzilla in the back with it. In response, Godzilla whirled back around, his chest fully healed, and fired another atomic ray. Destoroyah wailed in agony as even more of its biomass was lost. It began to shift its flesh around, trying to turn into several Aggregate forms.<p>

Before Godzilla could take advantage of Destoroyah's vulnerability and finish it off, the false King Ghidorah strafed him with its gravity beams and charged. Godzilla took the tackle head on, his feet sliding back slightly in the regolith, then took one of its heads in his hands. With a heave he flipped it over his shoulder, swinging it back into the ground with earth-shaking force. The head in his hand began to foam at the mouth as Godzilla refused to relinquish his vice-like grip. Then, the kaiju king twisted, snapping the false King of Terror's spinal cord with a sickening crunch.

Several micro-oxygen beams struck him in the side, turning his attention once more towards Destoroyah. It had completed its transformation, several Aggregate forms were now charging at him head-on. He managed to take one out with his atomic ray, but the rest managed to close the gap in time and tackle him to the ground, trying to dissolve away his flesh with micro-oxygen. The false Ghidorah joined the fray as well, looping one of necks around Godzilla's throat, something that proved to be a bad mistake.

There was a blinding flash of light, and then a nuclear pulse blasted outwards from Godzilla, severely burning his attackers and sending them back. Rising from the ground, he snorted derisively and charged once more.

* * *

><p>Gigan had no time to react as Shinji slammed into the cybernetic kaiju at the speed of sound. The two went tumbling for a few hundred meters, then rolled to a stop. Gigan activated its torso saw, hoping to eviscerate the boy, but Shinji managed to avoid the saw long enough to fire a Meteor Missile into its gut, rendering the weapon inoperable. Gigan flailed about in pain, smacking Shinji in the face with the flat of its scythe.<p>

As the two grappled, Megalon charged at Asuka, dimly hoping that this new red thing would prove to be easier to fight. The red-haired pilot decided to punish it for its foolishness by casually sidestepping it and firing her rifle into its back until the battery depleted, burning away much of the kaiju's hide on its back. Dropping the now-useless rifle, Asuka hefted her progressive spear and threw it into Megalon's back. It imbedded itself into the beetle-like kaiju's hindquarters, black blood oozing and freezing from the wound.

The sheer amount of pain Megalon was in allowed it to finally break the control its masters had over it. Utilizing the anti-gravity pods in its feet, the kaiju took flight, rocketing away from the battle and into the sky. Upon seeing its comrade flee, Gigan's panic also overrode its master's control. Its first free action was knock Shinji away and take flight, following after Megalon.

Shinji doubled over and gasped for breath, deciding not to follow after the two escaping kaiju. Asuka walked up to him, casually brushing off a hunk of kaiju flesh.

"SHOULD WE HELP OUT GODZILLA?" she inquired.

Before Shinji could answer, something flew over their heads, prompting them to duck. With wide eyes they realized that the flying object in question was _Godzilla. _The nuclear leviathan was somehow using his atomic ray as a makeshift rocket, propelling himself into the air. A Destoroyah Aggregate was impaled on his dorsal spines, and he clutched Ghidorah in a bear hug. It was another sight that would be etched in Shinji's brain for the rest of his life.

Godzilla's foray into flight came to an end when he slammed into a nearby hillside, pulping the Aggregate in the process. He tumbled down the hill, letting go of Ghidorah as he did so. The three headed creature, which had a limp middle head, attempted to take advantage of the situation and flee like the others before it. Just as it took to the sky, however, Godzilla regained his footing and opened fire with his atomic ray, destroying Ghidorah's wings and severing its middle head. The golden kaiju plummeted to the ground, flailing weakly as Godzilla stomped towards it.

The King of the Monsters growled, his dorsal spines glowing once more. Instead of firing as usual, however, he waited. And waited. And waited. Crimson energy began to crackle about his spines now, creating a rather pretty lights display.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOIN-" Asuka began, only to be silenced when a blood red atomic ray fringed with lightning blasted out of Godzilla's jaw, briefly blinding Shinji and Asuka. The beam struck dead home, creating a titanic explosion that could be felt for miles around. When the light faded, Ghidorah was gone, a massive crater taking its place.

Godzilla roared triumphantly and turned away from the crater, exhausted. Seeing that the battle was over, Asuka decided to go into standby mode and save power, awaiting the rescue party that was supposed to come over any minute now. When a few minutes passed, she realized that something was up. It was very important that they arrive as soon as possible, there was only so much time Shinji could spend on the surface. Sighing, she realized what needed to be done.

"HEY, BAKA," her speakers blared out. Shinji turned his head, his belt blinking yellow. "YOU'RE GONNA FREEZE OUT THERE. THE ENTRY PLUG HAS AN LCL-AIRLOCK, HOP ON IN."

Shinji considered the request, then shrunk back down to human-size in a flash. He flew over to the back of the Eva, waiting. Sure enough, the entry plug emerged slightly. Shinji entered the LCL-airlock and shut the hatch behind him. Once the chamber filled with LCL, he entered the plug proper. Asuka was lying back, relaxing in the plug.

"Glad you could make it, baka," she said cheerfully. "Don't get too comfortable, it'll probably only be a few more minutes."

Oh, how wrong she was.

**A/N: I'M BACK BITCHES!**

**In response to your question, godzillafan1, Unot is a firmly on the good side. I put him in the story to show that just because you're an alien in the Godzilla universe, it doesn't mean you're some anti-human conquerer.**


End file.
